Forgotten Promises
by giggleplex
Summary: "The pages of past are turning rapidly, and though I have no further inclination of the vague shadows of promise I presume, my true life has only just begun." REVIEW PLEASE
1. Prolouge

Hi Everybody! This is my first little ficlet, and I'm really curious to what you think of it so far. I've had this idea in my head ever since I beat FF9, so we'll see how it turns out I suppose. Hope you enjoy it, and please review okies? ************************************************************************  
  
  
  
Forgotten Promises By Giggleplex  
  
  
  
*********************************************************************** Despite its size and population, Lindblum was always a quiet city at night. This one was not particularly different in that perspective, even though the sun was already climbing into the sky in a spectacular show of warm sunset colors. All of the shops opened at 9 o'clock sharp every morning, so no one really had a reason to abandon their warm beds and freeze in November dawn. It was one of the glorious things about the mechanically-obsessed settlement; a kind of truce existed between merchants, factory employees and even thieves and guards. One of the main reasons people (and creatures) loved their life there.  
  
Most of the castle was much the same, except for the room on the tallest turret and the narrowest staircase, a little girl had already streamed her consciousness out of the world of dreaming. Just one short little girl with peculiar purple hair and an even more peculiar horn parting it.  
  
At first glance, one would dismiss any strength in that petite body. However this one little girl was a force to be reckoned with. Whispers followed her when she left her secluded room. Rumors, that this odd little child was one of the great warriors who saved the world from an almost unspeakable evil only a year prior.  
  
Well, those rumors as odd as they may seem at first were entirely true. She was also the newly adopted child of the most respected Regent Cid and Lady Hilda of the most technologically advanced nation in Gaia. Her name was Eiko.  
  
That morning, started as every other seemed to; boring. Eiko had taken to staring out the tiny open window nowadays. The cook was most likely asleep like everybody else, her parents as well. /Geez/, she thought with distaste /the so-called guard at my door has even fallen asleep./ She turned her head to the mucsley lump stationed at her door, who was snoring at that moment. Quite loudly in fact.  
  
She tore her gaze off of the fool, and propped her drooping head up with a tiny arm; elbow placed firmly on the ledge. And waited.  
  
* * *  
  
"Eiko, darling, are you not hungry"  
  
The purple-haired six-year-old turned to face her anxious mother, holding a plate of potatoes. Eiko silently cursed herself for spacing out in front of her mother. And at breakfast too! But, those thoughts drove out of her mind when hunger took over.  
  
"Yup! I mean, no. I'm hungry. Would you please pass the potatoes?"  
  
Lady Hilda's eyes lit up at the reply and she smiled while handing the plate to the little girl. "Oh Eiko! You're going to be a fine woman someday. Polite, pretty, and intelligent. Everything that a parent wants in a child. Isn't that right Cid?"  
  
The regent of Lindblum looked up from his cup of tea, and a document one of his aides placed in front of him. "Hm? Oh yes. That's nice."  
  
Eiko resisted the urge to giggle at the death glare Hilda shot at her husband, who obviously hadn't listened to a word she said. But right after that, a familiar dizziness overcame her, and she almost fell straight into her pile of potatoes. The same dizzy feeling when summoning an eidolon. It didn't take a genius to figure out the cause of the feeling, so she quickly excused herself, with her breakfast untouched.  
  
* * *  
  
When Eiko moved into the castle, her only request was a new summoning wall so that she could still pray to her eidolons without actually going to Madain Sari. So, naturally, this is where she went, and where she knew she would never be disturbed when contacting her inner monsters. When Eiko first saw the room, she had figured it was just an old guest room that had been abandoned as a result of its ridiculously long trip to anything else in the castle. However, now, she guessed it was more likely of being a closet. She had been living inside the castle for over a month now, and this was still the smallest room she had ever seen inside it. But Eiko didn't really mind, she just knew that even the servants would never find her there.  
  
It was located in the middle of one of the numerous courtyards around the castle; its own independent building. Covered completely in ivy and moss, it looked like something in a fairy tale and also quite out of place in the magnificent castle. /Just like me/ thought Eiko sadly.  
  
The interior was rather plain, and easy to paint. When Eiko had decorated the walls, she thought she felt the eidolons themselves guiding her little paintbrush. When she finally finished every single eidolon she could think of, she backed up and admired her handiwork, noticing quite plainly that she was diffidently not *that* talented. But either way, Eiko had spent a whole day without eating or sleeping, but just looking around in her own secluded paradise.  
  
When Eiko entered the "chapel" as she had been accustomed to calling it, she quickly lit some incense and settled down on the ground, cross-legged. For some reason unbeknownsed to her, she was facing her intricate painting of the phoenix at the time. But, not even noticing where her body was taking her, she allowed herself to fall into a trance-like state. The very same thing that her beloved grandfather taught her right before he lay his head down in eternal slumber.  
  
Once she was in a state of complete relaxation, Eiko started her prayer.  
  
But, the gods had something else in mind.  
  
Before she could understand what was happening, a bright flash illuminated the room, and Eiko's head felt light for a second. The brightness startled the young girl, so she closed her eyes tight and opened them, dreading the worst.  
  
The phoenix stood there ::Summoner, we must have speech::  
  
Groaning inwardly, she stared at the firebird in disbelief. /This is going to be a long day.  
  
* * *  
  
Garnet Til Alexandros the 17th, sighed for the umpteenth time this morning. The mayor of Dali had come to her morning court to complain of a matter regarding the usual land disputes of Dali's farms. This was the fourth time he had visited this month, and to put it plainly, she was rather tired of his overly exaturated voice. This should have been something that he himself had settled in the first place, and she had told him that, numerous times. However, no matter how many times she told him, he would never actually listen. So, somehow, she put up with his agitated (and agitating) speech yet again, and not really paying attention to what he had to say.  
  
The queen of Alexandria, used all her strength just to sit up straight in mock interest, and to keep from falling asleep. Her gaze flowed to the man next to her, who by the looks of it, was having about the same amount of trouble, for about the same reasons.  
  
Her comrade and husband, Zidane Tribal, was currently gazing at the crystal chandelier that hung over the hallway. Not being the true blood heir of Alexandria, he wasn't exactly expected to be one. He didn't even need to be there at court, yet he firmly made it clear, that he WAS going to stand by her always.  
  
Garnet nudged a spark of magic in his direction to get his attention. It was so weak that it was invisible to the human eye, but he jumped slightly in his throne nonetheless. Trying not to appear too conspicuous to the mayor, he slowly turned his head toward his beautiful wife, and smiled. Her eyes darted towards the mayor (who was completely oblivious to their nonverbal conversation), and then she rolled them.  
  
Zidane looked back to him, as he was currently droning on about how the rulers of Alexandria should do their part to the people. His emerald eyes went crossed as he tilted his head. To add to the complexion, he stuck his tongue out so it hung limply at the corner of his mouth. Garnet stifled a giggle as the General of the Alexandrian army, Beatrix, slapped the king's foot to gain his attention.  
  
He gave a sort of strangled yelp that caused the mayor to glare daggers, and settled in yet again. Garnet sighed. Sometimes Beatrix just seemed a bit too stiff. She closed her eyes to hide exasperation, and sat up straight, just like her mother always told her.  
  
"DAGGER! Zidane! I have to talk to you guys!"  
  
She jolted up in time to see the lace-covered figure that ran towards them. Eiko ran as fast as she could in those cursed shoes, and was looking somewhat comical in a way. Beside Garnet, Zidane actually stood up, a huge grin spread across his face.  
  
"Eiko! What a surprise!" He called. However, the mayor of Dali wasn't about to let him get away that easily.  
  
"What is the meaning of this!?" He asked, his balding head, contorted in anger. Garnet rose to his challenge regally.  
  
"Our apologies sir, but there is business we must attend to at the moment" she stated, glad of an excuse to leave him.  
  
"Well excuse me queen, but I have business you must attend to as well" he puffed out his chest, and Garnet nearly sighed again. Now, the bore was an immature pest, pointing out one of the most annoying rules of childhood. I got here first.  
  
The queen only ignored him, and jumped down from her velvet throne to meet one of her dearest friends. However, she was quite startled by the change of Eiko. Her normally cheery face, was deathly pale and her eyes held fear instead of happiness.  
  
"Dagger." she stated breathlessly. "The eidolons talked to me."  
  
Whatever the queen was expecting, it certainly wasn't that. Garnet was a full-fledged summoner by the normal age of sixteen, and the eidolons rarely spoke to her. Eiko was just a confused girl they found at the ruins of the summoner village. Certainly not important enough to be talking with the gods. Yes, just a little girl.  
  
"Are you sure Eiko?" Garnet cooed, remembering how other children her age were like. It hadn't been the first time a six-year-old pulled a prank like this.  
  
The purpled hair child, nodded violently. She took a sharp intake of breath before speaking again "The Pheonix came to me. She said that they had decided to bring someone back so that they could have another chance and that we had to make sure nothing bad would happen to him and that they could not revive his old memory and-"  
  
"Hold on Eiko. Whatever it is, I'm sure the eidolons can take care of it theirselves you know." Zidane replied, not really believing her either, because he was still smiling.  
  
"Yeah," Garnet agreed "it was probably just a dream, Eiko"  
  
If the couple thought that was going to calm the poor girl down, they were sadly mistaken. "N-no! It wasn't a dream, she told me-"  
  
"Eiko darling, would you like some tea?" Garnet offered, smiling. Eiko shook her head and then started to speak again "But I think this might have something to do with Ku-"  
  
"Eiko," Zidane interrupted quietly "He's dead Eiko." Garnet sadly glanced at her husband. He still never got over the fact of his brother dying. His tail drooped, and he stared at the marble floor sadly. The queen felt a twinge of anger at the silver-haired mage who almost destroyed her beloved kingdom as well as others.  
  
The six-year-old noticed the uncomfortable tone in the king's voice, and decided to keep her mouth shut on that subject. She already knew what the answer would be if she asked for help.  
  
"So.you aren't going to help me, are you?" Eiko said in a very subdued voice. The rulers of Alexandria stayed silent. "Fine. I won't need your help anyways"  
  
With that, she turned on her heel, chin posed defiantly, and walked out of the hall, and not looking back.  
  
Garnet sighed. She and her husband shared a knowing look. "Oh, our little Eiko is growing up so fast. She's already acting like she's thirteen!"  
  
That brought a chuckle from her partner. "Yeah, I remember those days."  
  
And so, the rulers of Alexandria reflected on their teen years, and just how foolish they were at that time. Not knowing, that Eiko's warning could have saved so much grief, pain, and sorrow in the future. For this, is the story of the famous rulers' mistake. 


	2. A Rooftop Escape

Disclaimer: Okay! I'm sorry for missing this on the last chapter, but I don't own Final Fantasy IX. Geez, I'm not insane, Square does foo's. So don't sue giggleplex, she barely owns the computer she is typing this on, or the Cibo Matto CD that is playing.  
  
  
  
Chapter 1:  
  
  
  
"You didn't get enough, brat!"  
  
The woman backhanded her shaking daughter in disgust, causing her to fall backwards in a heap of mismatched patches and tangled hair. The blow landed directly on her right cheek, leaving an angry red mark on her pale face and the physical illusion of a million pins poking her nastily as some sort of aftershock. The pain almost brought tears to her eyes. Almost. Because she knew for certain that if one droplet escaped her squinting eyes that wasn't a satisfying red, her punishment would be even worse.  
  
So she bit her bottom lip down as hard as she could, allowed her hair to cover her face, and balled her bony hands into tight fists, with white knuckles popping out and fingernails cutting into her sweaty palms. Then she waited for her dear mother to continue.  
  
"I told you to buy ~five~ carrots, not a bloody FOUR!" her eyes flashed dangerously.  
  
But the girl didn't argue or deny the words. That would be the worst thing she could do at that moment.  
  
"You'd think for all the time you spend at that school, you'd at least have learned to count!" she yelled, spittle flying out of her mouth in all directions. "But no. You're even stupider than I gave you credit for!" She kicked the girl on the floor.  
  
But before she could even stop herself, the girl cried out "But you only gave me twelve gil, a-and carrots are three!"  
  
The woman's face grew even angrier as the girl clamped a hand to her mouth. "Carrots are two gil the last time I checked! That means you should have two gil left. God! Tell me WHY I was cursed with this impudent fool!" She cried out, tilting her head to the heavens.  
  
The girl's eyes closed slowly in hopelessness. She felt her mother's presence loom over her, and braced herself for the severe beating that would surely follow.  
  
* * *  
  
She stumbled into her room, having to rest slightly just outside of the door because of the effort it took her to climb up the stairs. Once her spinning head found that she was in her only safe place, that was when the tears came.  
  
Her name was Maiaza; the fifteen year old daughter of Shiesha and Ulban Striner ((AN no, not "Steiner")). Supposedly, that is. She looked nothing like them; she was tall, remarkably thin with light brown hair and chocolate eyes. Her mother was short, plump and an excellent example of fading beauty with her flyaway red hair and bright blue eyes. Her father was tall, burly with black eyes matching hair, and a glare almost fixed permanently on his face. Maiaza didn't really ~hate~ them, they were family after all! Though for some reason completely unbeknown to her, they just seemed to hate her with a remarkable passion. Or at least, they didn't show any "normal" parental concern for her. Maiaza's three brothers were treated with smiles, hugs and the occasional fond kiss. She was treated with scowls, yells and sharp kicks. So, fear was almost the only emotion she had known.  
  
With great effort, she crawled her way over to her small cot, the salty and increasingly sticky tears still moving. It was a good thing it was layed out on the floor, for she was feeling somewhat noxious, and didn't want to risk standing at that moment. She shivered a bit and buried her smeared face as far as she could into it. Sometimes, she would do this on happier days, and pretend she was in another world. A world full of no pain, and no parents. But, happier days had long since disappeared from her miserable life.  
  
She rolled over, shivering uncontrollably under a paper thin blanket; that was all that was given to her, even on this cold October night. If it got really cold, she would sometimes retrieve all of her clothing (two skirts, two tunics, one old cloak and a hidden pair of her brother's old breeches that she wasn't supposed to have) and bundle herself up in that. But tonight, winter was just starting and she knew that she would have to get used to the cold if she wanted to survive.  
  
Well one good thing about living in the attic was she at least was safe from her family. They despised the attic; most likely because of the strict religion they were involved in that was determined to rid the world of demons. Supposedly, the higher up you were, the closer the horrible demons were. Maiaza didn't really believe that, so it didn't bother her as much. Of course, she would have ended up in the attic anyways, no matter what she thought. Though she wasn't alive during the Massacre where Lindblum was almost completely destroyed, she really couldn't say anything about the "demons" not being real.  
  
Maiaza snuggled into the blanket as much as she could, tears no longer coming from pain, but of sorrow. Why were her parents always like this? Why didn't she have her own breeches let alone bed? It wasn't as if they were terribly poor; her father was a good and stable Lindblum citizen, her brothers all apprenticed in respectable jobs, and her mother was a good housewife. Just everything a normal girl would need. . .  
  
/But I'm not normal/ she thought, firmly knowing what she was talking about. Maiaza attended the required (by the regent himself) schooling every day. No one could hurt her there; and it was the only thing she could really do for herself, and not some other person. She had even made some friends there, others who were in situations not unlike Maiaza's own. And even though they couldn't exactly help each other, it was at least comforting in not being alone.  
  
Suddenly, she was brought out of her thoughts from a cold and powerful wind, coming and probably would have made her non-existent windows rattle. She couldn't remember the last time she was this cold; it seemed far worse than usual. She curled herself up tighter, hoping it would help, but it didn't. She was shivering violently and started coughing, making her throat burn as if it was rubbing against sandpaper. And Maiaza knew she wasn't going to get any help. Here anyways.  
  
So, the brown-eyed girl mustered as much strength as she could afford, threw her trembling hand to grasp her cloak, and somehow managed to pull it on while breaking into another fit of coughs. Her feet were a bit more unsure of themselves than she would have hoped, causing her to stumble to her little trapdoor rather than walk, but it served her purpose and that was the important thing right now. Then, she flung it open.  
  
The icy chill whipped her knee-length tangled hair painfully across her now dry, salty face. Biting her lip to relieve pain, she carefully lowered herself down to stand on the kitchen's rooftop, glad for once that she wore cheap, soft-soled shoes rather than steel ones, because they might have heard her escape. And if that happened, it would be an escape no longer.  
  
Her gaze setting on the frosty material underfoot, she wished she had a real cloak rather than the rags she wore now, but now was not the time to think of such luxuries.  
  
Making sure a small pouch was tucked in and safe in her pocket, she walked carefully over to the other side of their house. She only got caught once, but that was an experience she truly wished to forget.  
  
She sprang like a cat to the next rooftop, taking almost the same care as her home's but going a bit quicker. She wouldn't have even gone outside under normal circumstances, but . . . she ~needed~ to. Maiaza proceeded to the next roof, and the next, and the next . . .  
  
The sky was completely dark now, its stars hidden by the billowing clouds of mist. She cursed silently as she noticed it; mist shouldn't have drifted this high around this time of year. Then, she quickened her pace almost dangerously, because falling off a house was certainly safer than being unarmed when the mist-monsters showed up.  
  
Her eyes were watering, yet still dry from the wind. It became harder and harder to breathe, causing Maiaza to inhale with a rasp and increasingly more coughs. Oh, how she wished she was in front of a warm fire, sipping bits of tea and cuddling with a yellow eyed cat. . .  
  
/No/ she scolded herself mentally. She needed to use all of her wits on the task at hand, not dreaming foolishly of something that was impossible to occur.  
  
She coughed again. Luckily, no one would really think twice about hearing coughing this deep into the slums. The shadowed buildings around here were mostly in various forms of disrepair, and so were its people. If anyone actually heard her, they would most likely be insane, to drunk to care, or too frightened of their world to put two and two together.  
  
Maiaza continued, her cough becoming steadily worse and more uncontrollable. Her unsteady breathing didn't help matters either. Twice, she was forced to stop, just to catch her breath, and wheeze in the smoke- contaminated air.  
  
But she couldn't stop. She had already reached her decision when she left the attic.  
  
Then, after what seemed like an age of roof-jumping, Maiaza's destination came into view.  
  
It was a rather dreary looking building that caught her attention. Even from her rooftop view, she could hear the animated chatting and gruff laughter that erupted from the place. Candle and firelight shined from under and over the creaky door, slightly illuminating the old hanging sign which read: "The Hungry Bandersnatch"  
  
Maiaza leapt down to the ground, and headed toward the welcomed sign. Not bothering to further investigate the trip as she landed, which she never did.  
  
The short walk to the seemingly constantly swinging door, was ridiculously hard. The world started to spin in a wild blur to Maiaza, who's only reliable sight became the blinking light ahead.  
  
She coughed again, the act to her throat hurt more than her head, which let us assume, hurt greatly.  
  
Maiaza lost track of time, her only thought being to continue the agonizing strides, and the pain. Oh the pain. . .  
  
She bumped the swinging door open with one last stumble, not being able to think now that she had reached the destination that seemed so impossible before. The inn seemed to fall silent upon her abrupt arrival, but she didn't notice. She only noticed the mop of red hair that was located somewhere above her before whispering the barely audible word; "Willie".  
  
Then her world spun into dark.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Okay, the first official chappie, in my first official ficly is now. . .*drumroll*. . . finished! Yupparoosies, aren't I special? Anywho, I tried to deal with the pauses and italics best I could, but I'm not promising anything. So, we'll see how it turns out.  
  
Anywho, the main character is now introduced. And no, this is NOT a Mary Sue. I wish I was like her though. . .^^  
  
So now, you have to tell me what you think! Pwease? You could even click on that little box, not have a name, and just say a one word comment! I just want to see if my writing style's okay. See, I'm usually only a reviewer (which I'm somewhat good at actually) but I thought I should try this out. Hope I amused you so far! 


	3. Ticket to Freedom

Bom, bom BOM! Yesh. Anuder chappie for ya. (Woah that was kewl, an entire sentence of pure zigzaggy, red and green lines ^^)  
  
Thank you SO much reviewers. You make these chapters and wasted weekends totally worth it! *does a happy dance* Hey, I'm in a good mood, so don't be surprised if the main character dies or something. . .kay, maybe not, but I'm still SUPER DEE DUPER happy. So, more reviews would be nice, that is if you are. (And if you aren't already annoyed of my tea addiction ^^;;;).  
  
Disclaimer: Honestly. If one of those Square peeps are actually taking a look at this thing, I'll eat my shoe (without salt!). *sigh* But just in case, here it is: I don't own Final Fantasy IX, all rights belong to Square.  
  
_________ (I'll just call you the nameless entity ^^) - Thank you for the compliment! I'm glad you enjoy it, and yes, KUJA IS THE KEWLEST! ^^;;; heh heh, sorry about getting carried away. . .  
  
shadedragon666 - Hey, I was wondering where "Connections" ended up! There just aren't enough GOOD ff8/ff7 fics to go around, and I'm glad that I relocated yours again. Oh! And I am a gal in case you were wondering (just guessing by looking at your bio page)  
  
Rhea Chryseis - Wow *gets starry eyed expression* The person who wrote Cynical Girl Rising likes my fic! Thank you SO much (and I can't believe that I haven't reviewed your fic, it's wonderful ^^) and I hope you continue to enjoy this story.  
  
Now, on with the show!  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Chapter 2:  
  
She woke to the unfamiliar clinking of washing dishes, sweeping of a broom, and a crackling fire. But the thing she noticed first, was that though she warm.  
  
Her eyelashes fluttered open a few times before she could focus, and her eyes seemed somewhat glued together as if she had cried herself to sleep. When the world around her steadied and cleared, she found herself wrapped in layers of thick, woolen blankets and placed right next to the fire in the large common room that served in the inn. Her head still felt light, her stomach disturbed and weak, but she noticed the symptoms were much more toned down than before.  
  
She sat there, staring at the fire dumbly, until the clattering of dishes abruptly stopped.  
  
"Mai, ya alraght darlin'?" a motherly voice asked as a woman appeared out of the kitchen doorway.  
  
She was a plump lady; most likely in her late twenties by the look of it, with a round, pink face surrounding bright twinkling orbs and a stubby nose. The apron over her dress was smudged with what supposedly was food, but the expression in her movements and face were so mothering, that Maiaza couldn't help but be comforted by. However, Mai was far from the world of comfort in that moment.  
  
"Yes," she heard herself reply in a hoarse voice "Yes, I'm fine"  
  
The woman pulled a face as she set down the rag she was wiping her hands with, and placed her hand on her forehead. Her brows furrowed further and she just simply stated: "Like hell ya ar' darlin'"  
  
Maiaza almost sighed, but caught herself before she could hurt herself again. She should of known better than to try and lie to Alice; the former healing student and a woman who supposedly traveled the world at the age of 19. She had met her husband Willie in some village in the Northern continent, and they quickly fell deep in love and got married at a church in another larger village. When they moved back down to Lindblum, they gathered up all the money they had, started that inn, and despite the fact that they could move out into a better area in town, they stayed there. Maiaza even heard once that they stayed because the king and queen of Alexandria had come there once, many years ago, but Mai knew that the main reason they stayed was because of their young children. They didn't want to move.  
  
She was drug out of her thoughts when she noticed Alice pulling up her sleeve. Mai tried her best to free her arm, but failed as the older woman gasped.  
  
"What happened to you?!"  
  
Mai grimaced as she set her gaze upon the black and blue. It didn't really feel as bad as it looked, really! /But I'm just probably getting used to it/ she thought to herself, and mentally sighed. /The last thing I want her to know though. . ./  
  
"I. . .um. . .fell down the stairs." She managed to get out before gasping in pain from the pressure Alice put on her arm. The odd thing was, she didn't seem sorry about it. She looked down at Mai with raised eyebrows, knowing that she wouldn't be able to get the information out of her otherwise.  
  
"Darlin', ya an' I BOTH knaow that ain't true."  
  
Maiaza looked back up to her stern yet mothering face, looking for any means of escape. However, Alice just sat down on a scrubbed wooden chair right next to her, and patiently waited for her to explain.  
  
She didn't know why, or how, but as a single tear glided down her cheek, and reflected to the dancing flames, she began at the very beginning, and told Alice things that she even had trouble admitting to herself.  
  
And it was dawn before she finished.  
  
* * *  
  
Snow was pretty. Maiaza never could really appreciate that before, being locked inside, disparate just for a little glimpse of the outside, through those small glass windows above the cupboard in the kitchen. Market days just weren't the same; "outside" was simply in the grease-like smoke or manure smells around little tents too smooshed together to really accomplish much. But now, as she walked along the covered, cobblestones, she understood why all of the other little girls and boys looked forward to this time of year when she was younger, it was just. . .unexplainably amazing.  
  
The street was relatively deserted, due to the fact the plows hadn't arrived yet. But, she didn't mind really. Her abnormally long legs kept her out of most of the trouble she might have found herself in, and being able to hear the soft landings of every single icy flake seemed to calm her more about the task she was set on now by Alice.  
  
Both Willie and Alice immediately offered her a home after fully hearing her tale, but only under one circumstance; that was if she confronted her fears. . .her parents.  
  
So here she was, walking through the knee high snow, in pursuit of the nearest air cab station. It had just snowed for the first time that year the night before, but it was odd. It usually didn't snow at least until mid to late December, but here it was, in the middle of NOVEMBER no less. The thirteenth to be exact.  
  
She stopped right there. /The thirteenth?/ She knew it was rather childish to actually give second thought to idiotic rumors and tales, but the fact that it was Friday the thirteenth the day she was to finally confront her parents, certainly didn't help her self-esteem. However, she acquired the strength to pull her soaking feet free, and forced her body, strictly in her destination.  
  
The streets were becoming more and more residentially sound, and Maiaza sometimes even got a small glimpse of small children, desperately fighting their parents with whatever they could come up with, in hopes of achieving freedom to explore the unfamiliar outside. Maiaza smiled at one of the young mothers in pity, and the blonde-eyed woman managed an apologetic smile in return, as she tried to comfort her screaming son. Then, their door abruptly slammed shut, causing the snow on top of the roof to flutter down from the impact.  
  
Maiazas smile turned sad, and somewhat ironic. That little boy didn't know how lucky he was to have someone who actually cared. Unlike herself.  
  
/But,/ she reminded herself /that woman might just be like that outside, when someone is actually watching her. I doubt it though./ The Striners never cared if someone was watching them, so why should she have? She was pretty, respected, and married, wasn't that what girls always wanted in their life? Well, Maiaza wasn't sure if that was she wanted, but like everyone always told her, she was different.  
  
Without really thinking about where she was heading, she boarded the small air cab, choosing a seat in the back row. But, that didn't really turn out to matter since she was the only one riding it at that time. The trip to the industrial district was rather short and uneventful; the drivers and crew always seemed disinclined to talk to anyone outside of their small and squirrelly numbers, so Maiaza didn't try to convince them otherwise.  
  
When she emerged from the public transportation device, she gave them her two gil fee, and wrinkled her nose in disgust from the familiar factory air. The snow here was more slushy and muddy from the people around it. The plow had evidently cleared through this area already, and people walked quickly yet distantly with their shadowed and sullen faces not giving away anything.  
  
She carefully walked down the street, making sure not to disturb anyone that might take offence. She coughed once, but it was just a shadow compared to what she felt a few nights prior. Alice healed her as best she could, but her sickness still wasn't completely dissolved. Maiaza was only glad that it had improved.  
  
Her steps became more and more heavy and deliberate as she neared her home. No, not home, ~prior residence~ would be more truthful. And with every step, she felt less and less sure of herself. Sure, both Alice and Willie had comforted her as best they could; telling her to never actually go inside of the house, and to deepen her voice a bit to give the impression of a more mature age, but what was so important before seemed useless then.  
  
Then, she came upon the Striner house.  
  
Maiaza stopped dead, feeling a bit of the blood drain out of her pointed face. Shadowed, and swimming in the illusion of safety, it stood there. Her legs almost took her away from that dreadful place, but she somehow managed to stay where she was. She gripped her old woolen cloak a little closer to her, but was unable to warm the cold, empty feeling in her mind.  
  
She raised her head, finding the overcast sky comforting. And with the combination of snowflakes fluttering and spinning around her like a dizzy dream. It all ended too soon after the minute of sky-gazing, she brought her newly brushed head down, her mouth set in a thin line of grim determination. As she advanced toward the plain and practical wooden door, it felt to her as if a tight metal suit had been wrapped around her body, and forcing her to walk. Though Maiaza was glad for it, even if it wasn't anything special; just her mind.  
  
Her bony hand rapped sharply on the door before she could think twice, and she winced a bit at her straightforward action. It was late morning on Friday, what mood would they be in today? But something odd happened.  
  
Nothing happened.  
  
Her eyebrows furrowed and raised. /What on earth. . .?/ She knew for sure that they always answered a call at the door unless they were busy. And by order of religion, Fridays were always off. She tried again, thinking perhaps they didn't hear her the first time, but after a few minutes worth of snowflakes on her shoulders, she gave up on that thought. Maybe they weren't there. . .  
  
With that as her last thought, she had made her decision. She fumbled a little from her numb hands, then grabbed the bronze knob and pushed her way in.  
  
Usually, being inside would be warmer than out at this time of year, but, the world was much the same inside. This surprised Maiaza, knowing that even though she worked the most on that house, the Striners were quite capable of at least making a simple fire! However, icicles (that she knew weren't fake) pointed down from the oak banister, and frost glittered from the little light given through the open doorway. She took a few steps in, her confusion growing. Her brown head turned to look around her, and it was all the same. And combined with memories, it seemed even colder and more unbearable than the outside.  
  
Maiaza now concluded that they weren't there, so feeling a bit more adventurous, she decided to explore the cause of this odd appearance. Her feet shuffled down the hallway to the kitchen. They echoed with an almost ethereal quality, and she was a bit at ease with how loud it suddenly seemed. When she entered the small room, her face became even more reflective of her thoughts. The small window, was open all of the way, as if it was a warm sunny day (which it was most certainly not). A slight breeze didn't ruffle the curtains as it normally would, for it was frozen, and sparkled just like the rest of the house. Maiaza closed the window, absently trying to free her mind of the questions that popped in. She scanned the kitchen with her eyes, searching for a piece of paper, or anything to write with. Then, she could write a confession for them to see, but with no chance of getting hurt! Then she could leave, and never come back.  
  
Her determination renewed, she walked back to the hallway, remembering that there was always extra paper somewhere upstairs. But with the absence of light, the stairway looked as though it were some sick idea of a "path to hell".  
  
"Note and I'll be gone, note and I'll be gone. . ." she muttered repeatedly under her breath, and clamping her eyelids down tightly for a second, to clear her mind. She slowly raised a soft-soled foot up to the first step, finding it easier with every one. Though, again, the floor under her seemed to creak with amazing volume, and she couldn't help but nervously glance everywhere, as if a strange ghoul would suddenly come out and grab her. But nothing came on the stairs, it was what awaited her at the top.  
  
The white bodies of her parents and brothers laid there in an untidy pile at the top, in a dried pool of brown blood. The horrible, lifeless gaze of her mother's upside-down eyes seemed to stare at her. And if that wasn't enough, standing and towering over the pile was. . .  
  
/The shadow hunter. . .emotionless. . ./  
  
Maiaza's thoughts ran through the mysterious poem in which was supposedly scribbled out in a suicide note of one of the greatest poets of all time. Disbelief was written all over her white face and her brown eyes bulged slightly, and did not blink. She felt as if her entire body was made of cheap wax, and was quickly melting into a puddle on the floor. Her eyes closed gently, wishing this was all some mistake, a ridiculous figment of her already overactive imagination. But when they opened again, the image remained the same. The obvious death of her family was nothing compared to the heartless. . .~thing~ standing over them.  
  
A tall figure stood there, covered completely in a dark violet cloak that brushed the floor. Two gloved and buckled hands were caressing a wicked looking dagger, before the thing's hidden head rose to examine the girl who mistakenly stumbled into its presence.  
  
/The night rose/  
  
That's what they called it, the people of Lindblum that is. No one knew what it called itself, or the true identity of the terror, but everyone knew what someone was talking about when they heard the title. She had seen some. A sharp intake of breath, a hateful expression, and an averting of all eyes to anyone within range. And that was just the reaction to a simple name.  
  
Maiaza's mind became seemingly more alert and her body staying so still she barely breathed. The two figures stood, staring intently at one another. Then, an unexpected jerk of the thing's head, caused her to jump slightly in a mix of surprise an utter confusion. It took three long and rushed steps to the nearby window, jerkily opened it, and jumped out into the white.  
  
She let out a deep breath that she wasn't aware of holding in relief. Maiaza took a moment of beloved, relaxed bliss. But the day's surprises weren't done with yet.  
  
"My my my, why do they always prefer the more dramatic exits?"  
  
Maiaza whirled around, feeling her face muscles and shoulders tense considerably. She then faced a boy; he looked a little older than her. But he was just. . .she supposed, more mature, grew up fast by the look of his flaming-red pony-tail, wire glasses and deep, gritty voice. His sapphire eyes were glittering with amusement, and a smirk was planted on his face. She didn't feel quite as frightened as she did about the Night Rose, but it was still rather unnerving to see a complete stranger in your house, which just looked like it had been the proud host of a serial-murder lately. The boy-no, ~man~ didn't seem to notice this however.  
  
After a few unnecessarily long moments, Maiaza seemed to get the hint that she should say something in response. So, finding it was most appropriate, she spoke the first thing that came to her mind.  
  
"Who are you, and why are you in my house?"  
  
His smirk narrowed slightly and his unwavering gaze fell back upon her. "I don't know."  
  
Maiaza's eyebrows raised in question, but decided that she should drop the subject. This man didn't look like the nicest person in the world, with his visible daggers and other weapons sticking out, and most likely had more hidden somewhere. It was certainly not her place to make him feel in any way uncomfortable.  
  
"Do you know that. . .thing?" she finally asked.  
  
For some reason, he let out a soft chuckle, and shook his head. Mai felt a slight surge of anger, thinking he was just taunting her.  
  
"Not personally." He answered, then, his smirk turned into an ironic grin. "Of course, no one really ~knows~ if they know 'it' or not, now do they?"  
  
Her eyes traced the boards on the floor, somehow feeling a bit embarrassed. She wished he would just leave her alone, but surprisingly, he spoke up again.  
  
"Now you. . .why are you here?"  
  
She looked back up, angrily. "These happen to be my parents right here!" her head jutted in their direction.  
  
Only one eyebrow rose now. "Oh? Then perhaps you can elaborate on how they came to their demise?"  
  
Maiaza bit her lip, feeling somehow lost, and quite alone. "I don't know." She said quietly.  
  
"That's too bad." She noticed that he really looked disappointed, and quite weary to tell the truth.  
  
His abrupt change to a more vulnerable, and sad person left her feeling a bit guilty, so before she could stop herself, she spoke back again.  
  
"I'm sorry I can't help."  
  
He smiled a bit at her, and shook his head. "No, don't be sorry. It must be you who's in need of comforting if these are indeed your family."  
  
"N-no," she said a bit too hastily. "I. . .well, they weren't really like parents to me. . .really."  
  
"I see." He turned toward the bodies with a hateful look on his face. "Was it abuse then?"  
  
Her face blushed just a bit, and she looked back at her feet. "I'd rather not talk about it."  
  
The man's eyes reflected the pity she could not see. There were so many like her, that could do so many great things if they were just given a chance. When he was younger, he remembered visiting little "homes" for those who were abused a few times too many. For as long as he lived, he knew he would never be able to forget their horror-struck faces and mutterings of nonsense under their breath, for as long as he lived.  
  
/There just ~has~ to be something to do!/ He thought angrily to himself as she plopped down on the hard floor, all dignity conveniently located somewhere safe for that time being. She buried her tear-struck face in her hands, and sobbed.  
  
"Whatever you should do now, you should at least get out of Lindblum. People will come looking for your, ah, father. And with a teenage girl the only one present when they come, there's bound to be a situation."  
  
She nodded in dark understanding. He envied her way in which she seemed to cry without making a sound, and he could tell somehow that she was serious in her hopelessness.  
  
"I don't h-have anywhere to go." She stated in a quiet, forced, yet still trembling voice. Her head still was down in her hands.  
  
He stared at her. The man knew that he always had it easy in life compared to someone like her; he had wealthy and loving parents, who actually went against him becoming a bounty hunter like them. And even now, as he was already well into a successful career, they loved him, and still could stand to be seen with him in public. Heck, there was even that strange guy who gave him the HG4 cruise tickets free two weeks before. . .wait!  
  
/That's it/  
  
He whipped out the ticket from his cloak hurriedly, and held it out to her. "Take it."  
  
Her head raised slightly to look, but she fell back in surprise at reading the bold black letters.  
  
"No, no. . .I couldn't accept that! It must have cost a fortune!"  
  
He shook his head. Well, I'm never going to use it, you should enjoy it I think. I went on last year's. . ."  
  
What he didn't mention was the fact that he had been on one every year prior to that one. His parents were off somewhere else, so they couldn't go for the next one. He wasn't going to attend this year's for that reason, but he never got around to actually ridding himself of the ticket, but this worked out nicely.  
  
She was gaping at him. It was unbelievable for her to have this kind of incredible luck.  
  
"W-why?" she managed to stammer out.  
  
"Because now, hopefully, I won't get drug into more volunteer work this year." His smirk was back now, with no evidence apparent of what came before. She looked back down at the ticket again, and didn't look up when she heard and felt a pouch of gil deposited at her side.  
  
"Buy some new clothes." She heard him order. She looked up again.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
But he was gone. There was only a shadowed and empty office visible from where he was before.  
  
She sighed a bit, only then blushing a little at how dependent she now was on his given generosity. Only now did she actually consider the cruise, however. After all, she didn't really need to stay at the house, and she could just go back to the inn. . .  
  
"No." She said to herself firmly. If they really considered her a suspect for murder, she didn't want Alice, Willie or their children caught up in this. It was her responsibility to follow through with whatever came next; no one else's.  
  
She turned back to the bodies of the family she wish she had. For some reason, it didn't seem too sad for her. She was only slightly nauseous at the appearance.  
  
And frankly, it scared her how heartless that seemed.  
  
Maiaza forced determination into her movements, walked down the stairs, opened the creaky door at its foot, and closed it carefully. Luckily no snow came down from the covered roof. Her eyes narrowed and lips pursed at realization and reflection.  
  
/Time to go shopping./  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Sheesh, that took a LONG time. Sorry if the ending kinda sounded a bit rushed, and Mai didn't wallop in self pity for 5 pages, but I haven't even got into the real plot yet. Oh well. Now for excuses:  
  
This chapter has almost the same amount of words in it as the last two combined.  
  
When I got about halfway through, I read back over it and discovered to my horror that it was complete and utter junk.  
  
School has officially begun.  
  
So now, you should at least have a little taste of my habits for the past month. I dunno when the next one shall magically appear, but hopefully it won't take quite as long. It's also like, 6 in the morning and I haven't really had my tea yet, so excuse me if I sound a tad bit smarter and more mature. Thank you for reading, and hope you have a nice day.  
  
(And don't forget to review!)  
  
Toodles.  
  
Giggle 


	4. And So the Adventure Begins PART ONE

Well peeps, school has finally enveloped my miserable life, cutting down on my free time considerably. It also didn't help that the hard-drive on my brand new HP fried, but thank fuzzles for warranties! But, that really delayed this chapter because I had almost finished it before I had to go get it replaced. Sorry folks!  
  
  
  
Lady Aliena - *faints* I didn't know you hung out around the FF9 section! Wow. Love your work, and I am quite honored for your generous review. That's good you like the idea of Eiko and her Eidolons' relationship, because you sure will get a lot of it in the future! Just keep in mind about her "grandfather" and you'll be on the right track ^^  
  
Yuna Leonheart - . . .  
  
*abruptly bursts out laughing* Thanks for the comments Ms Jet Plane (people besides Yunie-chan, DON'T ASK.)  
  
RainbowWings - Thank you very much ^^ Sorry I can't answer your question now, pretty soon I will though!  
  
Agar - *bows down* OMG, I'M SO SORRY! I type like crap, and the caffeine gives me a shorted attention span on the computer. I hope it'll make sense to you soon, because from what I've written in my journal, it should. PLEASE DON'T ABANDON ME! *is drug off by her pink octopus brother*  
  
Rhea Chryseis - Hello again. Now, I can't really tell you if you're right or not, but there are clues earlier in the story coinciding with his identity. Nice sequel. *holds up a "kuja rocks!" sign* YESH!  
  
  
  
*pants as she comes back on the screen* Oh yeah! I almost forgot. If any of you have played FF7, I started a story with Yunie-chan there a while ago. It's under the author name "giggleplex and Yuna Leonh" and if you're interested, feedback would be very much appreciated!  
  
**************************************************************************** ****************  
  
Chapter 3:  
  
/So this is it./  
  
Maiaza had heard that the famous luxury cruise air-ship was ~supposed~ to be large, but she had to admit of being unprepared for the sheer magnificence of it.  
  
It was by no means a war, or a ship specifically designed for speed, but it impressed her all the same. Huge, iron beams made up the fat-looking outside, rather than wood. Though, she could see ornately carved planks, twisting and turning in artistically rendered objects. She could barely make out the words "Her Lady Hilda Garde 4" in a sea of lovely ivy and romanticized nymphs.  
  
That was always the thing that struck her as rather odd about most nobles. The really wealthy ones seemed to have the worst style; cloaks, hats and even stockings were so covered in gaudy embroidery, it hurt just to look at them. Maiaza almost guessed it had to do with trying to show-off as much as possible, but she dismissed that idea off hand. If you were really trying to impress someone, she was almost certain that THAT was not the way to do it. And besides, who did nobles have to impress anyway? Their lives were Iperfect/I.  
  
She looked up, shielding her eyes from the sun with the back of her hand, and trying to glimpse a view of the large clock-tower above her. Supposedly it was some kind of point of historical significance, but she had never really came to the air docks too much. And all she could really remember from the droning history priest, was something about an insane hippotal, and some seemingly random fact about shoes.  
  
The clock read two fifteen. Good. That meant it was fifteen minutes until take-off, and that she was right on time.  
  
Maiaza took a deep, relaxing breath of the crisp autumn air. She straightened her new skirt, cocked her head up in what she hoped was a superior manner, made sure her pouch of money was securely fastened inside of her skirt (to fool pick-pockets) and strode across the docks to the large yellow banner that proclaimed "Board".  
  
Only one family was in front of her in line. They were obviously ready to play the exciting roll of "tourist", complete with oversized sun hats, binoculars, and tastelessly loud shirts. The entire family seemed a tad bit unorganized to her, but, she wasn't complaining. It wasn't as if she were terribly late or anything. And, to really tell the truth, their happy dispositions were starting to wear off on her slowly.  
  
The ticket man however, was not amused. He kept glancing at his watch with a scowl and clearing his throat impatiently. The family seemed blissfully ignorant of the whole situation though, and after only a few seconds, they disappeared into the small. . .~boarded~ crowd.  
  
Maiaza advanced unsure up to the man, not really knowing if he would act so sour with her as well.  
  
He held out his hand with slightly pursed lips, that she could tell were fought brutally to stay almost invisible. Swiftly, in one fluid motion, she whipped out the ticket for him to look at. His eyes closely scanned it, scrutinizing every nuance so quickly, even his eyes were hard to follow. So Mai plainly left him to it, waiting patiently and temporarily amusing herself with the new shoes she now wore.  
  
When the man finished, she heard him clear his throat with a suprisingly deep sound. Startled, her head shot up to properly face him. But again, she was surprised.  
  
His normal scowl had vanished, and in its worryful place was. . .a smile? It wasn't a ~true~ smile; at least for that she was sure. It just didn't exactly reach his eyes, and with that seemingly minor mix-up, the feeble attempt of a friendly expression appeared as something closer to a sneer than anything even remotely comforting.  
  
"Thank you for coming miss." He stated dryly, with an almost creepy, oily tone present. "I truly hope you enjoy your stay."  
  
Maiaza was visibly astonished by the contrast between this reaction and the one prior. Without even thinking, she shifted her weight on one foot to the other nervously, wishing to leave as soon as possible as the curious onlookers of the boarding line tilted their heads in curiosity.  
  
"Madam, allow me the honor to fetch an escort to your rooms."  
  
This comment triggered an abrupt switch from puzzlement to alarm. Her stomach tightened uncomfortably, and blood started rushing to her cheeks. /Is he mocking me or something. . .?/  
  
"N-no, really I'm fine." She replied hurriedly, raising her arms up in an attempt to express her feelings toward the matter. Her cheeks were supported with a full-blown blush now, adding the additional ignorance and embarrassment. But, naturally, he paid no heed to her reply. She assumed at first that he had only not heard her, but that hypothesis was proven wrong when she repeated herself. He hadn't even tried to listen to her.  
  
Instead, he reached over behind himself to grab a decorative golden bell. He rang out three deliberately clear notes before purposefully stifling it with a gloved hand. It was almost like real magic, the way a strict looking man with gray, grizzled hair appeared instantly from the shadows.  
  
The ticket man grinned back over hi shoulder cheesily, at his own supposed brilliance. Maiaza resisted the compelling urge to snarl at his fakeness. Cursing him silently at the unneeded attention he had brought, she quickly took in the appearance of the man summoned; he was a bit shorter than her, but the strength hidden expertly in his eyes, she assumed, made up for any disadvantage in his height. His clothing was somewhat similar to the ticket man's, a gray and red ensemble, with a white lacy trim, though not nearly as disgustingly flashy. He was also missing the fake politeness, and for that she was relieved. She wouldn't know how to handle another stupid- ticket-man.  
  
"Right this way madam." He said in a quiet, but authoritative voice. She quickly gathered all the wits she had about her knowing they would be needed soon, adjusted the strap of her pack, and swiftly followed his lead.  
  
**************************************************************************** **************  
  
Sorry it's so short, but this seemed like the most convenient place to leave it off. This will be a sort of "part" chapter (one of course), because I wrote over ten pages of practically the same scene. Don't worry though! We're over halfway done with THIS scene, and I think I'm going to throw in a little bit of that red-headed bounty hunter to explain things for you confused people. Poor, poor confused people.  
  
^^  
  
So remember, you might want to check out the FF7 (AU) story I started with a friend of mine, because I was quite proud of it, despite the rather rushed ending to chappie one. *sigh* oh well. . .  
  
Don't forget to review! 


	5. And So, the Adventure Begins PART TWO

Disclaimer: I don't own FF9, so don't bite, and don't ask oO  
  
Gold Mage - *huggles to Gold Mage* OMG, thanks for putting my on your fav author's list!!! ^^ You made my day. I'm glad you've enjoyed it so far, and I hope the length of this chapter pleases you accordingly.  
  
Rhea Chryseis - There there Rhea. . .I'm terribly sorry about confusing you. Hope you will be 'un' confused in the near future.  
  
******************************************************************  
  
Chapter 4:  
  
It looked to her as if they were going down some sort of shortcut; the path gradually slimmed down, and the walls were plain. She had to admit though, she would take this path any day, just because of the scents. Deliciously strong drafts coming from where she supposed was the kitchen, were pure ambrosia for someone who mostly lived off of crumbs her whole life. Her mouth watered adoringly, at the bright pictures in her mind of massive feasts, and intricate deserts.  
  
She was so preoccupied, that Mai didn't notice that she was stepping up steep wooden steps, until her guide swiftly pulled the creaky wooden door at the top open.  
  
A burst of light abruptly appeared, so quickly in fact that she almost clumsily fell backward. . .and all the way back down. ~Almost~.  
  
Fortunately, she didn't, but she scolded herself mentally all the same. Nobles didn't just fall down stairs, they were disciplined, they were proper, they were-  
  
/Not me./  
  
She quickly gathered her wits about her, and somberly strode through the door. But this time, as if she were making up for her almost devastating mistake, she exadgerated her cover as much as her body would allow; keeping her body back straight and head severely level. Again, the room-shower didn't even seem to notice, or care.  
  
Outside on the deck, it was much more crowded, and with everyone talking all at once, very loud. She sometimes caught little snippets of conversation, and the feminine fake, dry laughs without a moments rest. She could find her way through the crowd quite easily being somewhat tall, but keeping her eyes on the short and hidden guide was a different story all together. At least he was bald; she only had to track the shiny head.  
  
And then, a sudden jolt under her caused her to turn curious and look up. A loud, piercing whistle called out in warning, as the crowd-ocean began to quickly migrate to the railings on the edges of the ship. Wondering what all the fuss was about, she allowed the current to consume her.  
  
Puffs of black smoke were gradually becoming larger and fuller out of the high smokestack. Maiaza spun her head up to face it with her long hair fanning out parallel to the ground, and was becoming quite annoying as it clung to her face a bit, interrupting her vision for a second. Brushing it behind a strained ear with a long finger, she finally understood the idea of what was happening.  
  
She took a sharp intake of breath in wonderful anticipation.  
  
Pure, screaming noise escaped, causing her ears to pound because of the others around her. People were screaming, some weeping and others exchanging tender goodbyes with someone on the ground, who they could not hear, and they them. Feather hats and lacy handkerchiefs were dense in the air, and seemingly flying while forgetting to fall.  
  
It was a wondrous sight.  
  
But Maiaza couldn't help but feeling rather misplaced, as she moved back a bit to make room for a curly-haired woman, weeping hysterically for her sweetheart. Maiaza had no one to apologize for, despite Alice and Willie's best intentions, no one to laugh with, and no one to thank. She was all alone in this strange, strange world.  
  
And yet she furrowed her eyebrows stubbornly on determination. /No one YET. It's time for you to prove yourself Mai, time to start over and prove them wrong./  
  
She didn't move at first, or give any other sort of action reflecting her recognition of the comforting vibration the ship was now giving off. Then, quite suddenly and unexpectedly, it shot off the launching platform and into the cool, clear blue sky. Many of the pure-bred nobles fell to the wooden floor in astonishment, but not the sandy-haired girl with the brand new skirt. Maiaza only surveyed the wiggling legs overwhelmed in petticoats as a chance to take back a spot at the outer railing, and to somehow come up with a way to get her mind off of less-than-happy thoughts.  
  
And that's exactly what happened.  
  
She gasped at the view laid out for her. Her hair, again, was flipping itself into her face so she tied it absently into a simple knot like she always had back home. But, with the great city of Lindblum stretched off as far as the human eye could see, through the high mist and everything, even the normally large buildings that Maiaza had felt uncomfortable around resembled tiny models that young nobles always built. The streets up there looked so complicated, yet insignificant, and standing out oddly against the snow-sprinkled rooftops. It was just too much, and so ~very~ interesting from a drastically different point of view.  
  
She dimly saw most of the others clear out, with nothing entertaining them, now that their dramatic 'exits from Lindblum' were finished. But Maiaza really didn't care as with every second she found something new to examine. . .  
  
How long she stood there, gaping in an awed trance, she was unsure of. As she became blissfully ignorant of the outside world, it seemed never- ending, but all enjoyable things must eventually come to a close, and this was no exception.  
  
A loud and very obvious clearing of a throat was let out right behind her.  
  
Her body jumped slightly, breaking the mood, and she spun around quickly to face her guide. The impatient man's face was sparkled with a slight impression of amusement, and telling her now that he wasn't quite as impatient as she previously suspected. Though, she wasn't looking forward to pushing her luck with him, and tried to hide her gulp as much as was physically possible.  
  
Maiaza felt blood pumping itself up her face as a began to spread on her cheeks in embarrassment. She had completely spaced his presence out, and she suspected (with her face becoming even more red) that he must have been standing there for quite a while.  
  
His eyes non-verbally commanded her to follow him. She gave a short nod in understanding and he turned on his heel to start walking back on the wooden deck. The puny creaks were barely audible now under his feet, with the wind howling in their ears. So she followed, somehow managing to convince herself strong and collected, while feeling her own constantly allegro footsteps individually.  
  
He continued up a small staircase. Conjuring a small golden key, he managed to wrench the door open after spinning it around in its keyhole with a seemingly impressive demonstration of skill and precision.  
  
She tilted her head with blank eyes. His long tailcoat fluttered like tail- feathers, as he started up another flight of intimidating stairs. /More stairs!/ she thought to herself with profound annoyance /How many stairs are around here anyways? No wonder it's so huge!/  
  
As they continued, the guide unlocked four other doors before continuing back up another long flight of stairs. She thought that she might have been impressed, if she hadn't had a slight haze of nausea accompanying her ever since the ship became airborne. Trying to get her mind off of the rather sick reaction, Maiaza was understanding a pattern now, and ran the information through her head a few times so that she would (hopefully) remember later.  
  
Then there was the other thought biting sharply at her mind. Why on Gaia did that ticket man fetch this ~special~ guide, for the rather ~un-special~ her? She began to constantly look around her for the real person being treated with special care, but all she saw was stairs, wood-paneled walls and a few random paintings.  
  
Finally, he led her to a hallway that according to the laws of repetition carried in the other walls, should have held the next locked door. Instead, he made a ninety-degree-angle turn to the right, almost causing Maiaza to bump into him unprofessionally at the pause. There were three sets of doors here, noticeably further apart than the others; only three of them.  
  
He led her down to the one at the very end of the hall. Two, mahogany twins stood, somberly unmoving doubles of each other. Someone with incredible skill had decorated the otherwise bland entrances with little bits and pieces of chipped woods, placed in puzzle-like patterns. They formed a quietly serene scene of loopy leaves, and what appeared to be two identical foxes.  
  
"Fox room, correct madam?" he asked, and she quickly fumbled a bit with the stub of her ticket. The text on the bottom-right hand corner confirmed what she was looking for.  
  
"Yes." She heard herself say, voice sounding a bit unusual to her. He pulled out his ring of keys, and slipped one into the bronze keyhole. Pulling the chosen one out, he turned to sculpted knob, pushing it open slowly.  
  
And Maiaza finally understood why the ticket man was so generous.  
  
It must have taken a fortune to rent this room, plain and simply put. Her bag somehow escaped her relaxing grasp as she stood, gawking at the sight of her temporary residence.  
  
The ~basic~ perimeter of the area was a huge octagon, with crystal clear and silk draped windows that loomed to the tall ceiling on four sides. Two other sides on almost opposite sides of each other were mahogany single doors, that on contrary to the chipped placements on the entrance doors, were delicate forest scenes carved directly on them, and the ceiling showed the underside of an arc-style roof. Three chandeliers hung from that and were artfully applied with different length chain, all brightly and completely lit.  
  
She noticed the little rainbows reflected from the lights, dancing jovially on the thick, red carpet. The chandeliers must have been created completely from a rare type of ore to create that effect, and anyone who knew anything about rocks, knew it wasn't cheap.  
  
A massive four-poster bed stood regally in the midst of it all, and was probably large enough to fit an entire farming family under the covers, without it being crowded. And there were so many embroidered and tasseled pillows lying on the top that you could barely make out the gold sheets underneath.  
  
Her body sprinted over to one of the doors without thought, after an eternity of staring. She opened it carefully, believing somehow that it would all collapse and crumble at her feet if she pulled too hard. But all it turned out to be was a plain, whitewashed closet. An incredibly large closet that looked as if it could house the room she had all those years, yet with a purpose that was undeniably dull.  
  
She raced back over to the other door to see what else came with her donated ticket. This one turned out to hold an intricate bathroom with a mini chandelier of its own, causing the lovely blue-ish marble to sparkle in the candlelight. This. . .was all to good to be true for Maiaza.  
  
Without realizing it, tears flooded up quickly in her eyes as she turned to face the guide that was waiting patiently at the entrance doors. She smiled, wider than she had ever smiled before, and with a completely genuine quality that made him shift his weight uncomfortably.  
  
"If you need a servant, page, or just food, pull that string right there." There were more strings, but Maiaza saw clearly that the man was trying to leave as soon as possible. /Nice going Mai, now he'll be suspicious. It's not like the people he normally deals with just start spontaneously crying!/  
  
"Thank you," her voice was almost a whisper in case it wanted to crack, but it managed to serve its purpose. The man hurried out without another word.  
  
The room seemed so large now that she was the only one left in it. Just a poor, confused girl shoved straight into life, she supposed.  
  
Her foot tapped experimentally on the lush carpeting, with an odd feel to it now. So much different than the feel and sound of her toes and heels clicking against wood and stone. . .though, she wasn't sure which surface she liked better, yet.  
  
Finally, she gave into the suddenly strengthened gravity and collapsed into the luscious, velvet and silk pillows. This was really to good to be true.  
  
Then, she wept.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Fredrick Coral was one of the most respected bounty hunters in Lindblum. Not nearly as popular as the famed 'Night Rose', but still respectable. And being a bounty hunter in Lindblum of all places, was quite interesting because of the zero-tolerance the regent was known to have for the likes of him.  
  
Technically, his work was mainly out of Daggero, but it was awfully difficult to collect valuable bounties in an oversized library. Now Lindblum on the other hand. . .here was an interesting place!  
  
His cloaked figure dominated the nearly deserted streets, his feet making no sound on the cobblestones after the years of practice in stealth any mystery. He kicked a dislodged gray stone absently. This was certainly not a good time to be out on the streets, but he knew he would come out practically unscathed. No one would ever confront ~him~.  
  
/Odd, how a bounty hunter is tracking down a bounty hunter./  
  
The Night Rose was an endless source of nightmares and sleepless nights for the citizens of Lindblum. Problem was, Lindblum would not be a pretty place without its most active and ironic crime-fighter.  
  
Everyone knew that the Lindblum guards would never be able to keep the streets of Lindblum relatively clean without outside help. And he certainly wasn't talking about street-sweepers. The regent obviously had thought somewhere along these lines before, and had kept quiet, turning away from the nastiness. But his lenient side for the Night Rose had slowly been ripped apart in the past few months.  
  
/With good reason./ What the Night Rose was, and all it seemed to stand for still sent dislodged shivers up and down Fredrick's spine. Even after all he had seen, there was nothing quite like ~that~ bounty hunter.  
  
At first, when he had first heard the stories, he brushed them off carelessly thinking it was only another ridiculous rumor-mill with an overactive imagination.  
  
/And oh, how wrong I was./  
  
It was after he had been sparring with a friend back at the castle. He was walking home alone on a purplish evening without a care in the world. He had just chuckled at a memory, and adjusted his pack of spare clothes, when he heard the screams.  
  
Thinking it was just a petty scare in the midst of a crowd made of attractive young maidens, he started off in good spirits. It was always worth the popularity.  
  
He sighed in reality, thrusting his ice-cold fingers down his pockets. The large square, the makeshift torches appearing constantly out of the darkness, and the moon hanging over the imposing cathedral were all main ideas that popped into his weary mind of the incident. But none of them were the main thought of the sixteen-year-old boy, walking into pandemonium.  
  
At the very tip of the cathedral, an intricate point always jutted out to the sky. But back then, it had a body hanging off, the point stabbed neatly through the man's heart.  
  
Fredrick's heart had almost stopped at the scene, when he finally spotted the Night Rose.  
  
It seemed to had just materialized from the shadows, the ridiculously long cloak not betraying its still figure, or its calm as it billowed in the light wind. He had felt so horrible because of the guilty pleasure he held of something that could be so horrid, and inhuman could appear so. . .beautiful. Though even that seemed insignificant compared to the nausea he felt, tears had tumbled unstoppable down his smooth cheeks.  
  
As he somberly looked back on that day, he noticed something else. He had seemed to grow up on that day; he began to really ~care~. Advantage-taking seemed so useless afterwards, and from then on, he tried to keep his actions brave and honorific.  
  
On that day, with the dim, and even steadily increasing amounts of light, it was almost impossible to tell the true identity of the Night Rose. Hell, even now, a full five years after it first made its appearance, nobody even knew its ~gender~. However, Fredrick was almost certain it was male. No. . .~female~ he had ever encountered would do things like that, and continue to lead that sort of gruesome life. Even Lady Freya of Burmecia wouldn't have done that, and though women were to be respected in their own right, that rather barbaric style was clearly NOT feminine.  
  
But it didn't really matter. Whoever the Night Rose really was, Fredrick had decided, must be insane anyway.  
  
And most grown men would not be able to stand up to it for the shortest seconds without panic. He envied that girl he had met briefly, earlier that day. It must have taken a great deal of courage to stand her ground opposite the Night Rose, unarmed, and already facing the harsh reality of her deceased family. It wouldn't have been surprising if the gangly thing had simply run herself into its long katana before it did anything. He smiled a bit to himself. She would certainly do well, and he carried the nagging feeling that he would meet her again someday.  
  
He stopped in mid-step, somehow not falling forward on his face, and retraced a few steps to turn around a corner. Here, the few residences were much farther apart, fading from 'modest' to full-blown 'prosperous'.  
  
/Better go visit mum and dad./ he finally decided. /They would have a fit if they found out I was around here without telling them./  
  
His long legs shot over a large puddle in a graceful leap, his cloak drifting eerily behind him, coupled with a smirk stamped clearly across his face as he turned his head back to face the wet monstrosity. /Nice./ His feet still carried him forward, so he wrenched his head back to its natural position with the momentum created by his shoulders to face--  
  
A lamppost.  
  
The distinct ping of skull on cold metal echoed through the neighborhood. Fredrick's face burned as he tucked his hood firmly back over his had, glad that most of the dreadful snow had melted. He shivered, imagining how the unwelcome cold would have felt if slipped down his shirt to bare-back. . .  
  
/I just hope mum's cooking has improved! This is turning out to be a horrid day, and I ~really~ don't want it to get any worse than it already is./  
  
So, he made it out of the neighborhood; ~relatively~ unscathed.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
*falls out of the seat, twitching*  
  
Sorry folks, about the long update time, but I'm sick at home, so don't yell at me. . .*sniffle*  
  
Sorry, I just went brain-dead, so I have no interesting things to comment about. Toodles, and hope you had an amusing Tofu-rkey day *sneeze*  
  
(a very sick) giggle  
  
PS - I still don't know how to spell egsaturated. . .exadurated. . .I mean, oh damn. - . - 


	6. A Temporary Abandoning of Structure in L...

Eika - Sounds like we do have a lot in common! I appreciate the compliment, and feel free to e-mail me ANYTIME if you feel lonely ^^ It's always nice to make a new friend. . .  
  
Vincent:. . .Idiot. Now she's going to be really creeped out by you.  
  
giggle: Who ~you~ calling creepy? *kicks him in the shins*  
  
Jensui - Teehee, weeeeell, I've kinda written all of this stuff in advance. . .but anywho, I've pretty much sniffled out the cold now. Lets see. . .it IS exaggerated! Thanks a bunch ^^  
  
Now off to the show!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The wind blew thin tendrils escaping and flowing wildly about her face. And once thoughts of brushing it back out AFTER the wind stopped were completely (though never quite) out of her mind, she found the sensation oddly calming.  
  
Maiaza had temporarily abandoned the bulky skirts she had originally purchased for something that was in her opinion, much more practical. A day or two after lift-off was when she discovered the uncomfortable predicament, and that was the exact time rumors had begun circling the ship about a thief in the laundry room, but Maiaza knew (by evidence of her sly smile) that she wouldn't have to worry about it.  
  
/Honestly, if any of those idiots need these more than I do, I'll eat my shoe./  
  
She abandoned her previous wardrobe in favor of her current one after the simple realization of a simple fact. Wool skirts, while not particularly uncommon around the lofty mountaintops of Lindblum, were plainly NOT FUN to stand around in, in the middle of a desert. The silk shirt (complete with decorative ribbons, to disguise herself from their original owners), and baggy yet thin training pants were much more suited for the weather she found herself in, as they entered the Northern Continent.  
  
After she had made the change, she had noticed a considerable amount from the other girls her age around the ship, and she was perfectly content with being on the opposite side of that emotion. At first, she was somewhat startled, but then she saw their red, sweaty faces despite the white powder most of them sported for looks. They all radiated the same feeling; ~" you should be suffering just as much as the rest of us."~  
  
But the girls around her, were not friendly in the first place, so she didn't mind the fact that she had bested them on her easily come solution. Maiaza was never much of a beauty queen, though she hadn't really had a chance to anyway.  
  
Another thought had crossed her mind; if she really wanted to be completely inconspicuous, why was she bringing so much attention to herself? Simple. It just wasn't worth it!  
  
She let out a long sigh, and shifted her position, leaning on the long wooden rail of the top deck. Maiaza noted the fact that she had been sighing a lot lately, but at least it was better then the tears that she was accustomed to. . .  
  
She quickly changed her thoughts' subject. It was vacation after all.  
  
But, it had never ~once~ crossed her mind that perfection could be so boring!  
  
In a last angry attempt of fulfillment, she abruptly stood, and stomped on the wooden boards under her in frustration. Tonight, just like all of the others, there was a gigantic, charming party in honor of. . .absolutely nothing. Maiaza felt rather misplaced in the midst of these queer social events (after the time she had eaten everything she could reach the first night, but eventually coming to the conclusion of regret after it just all came back up again), so she had chosen independence on the top deck, trying only to ~relax~.  
  
However, despite the blissful imaginings, this was absolutely horrible, and nothing like what she had in mind. The heat was still the same, and mingled with the sickly scent of waxy candles, caused her to feel constantly sticky. Tiny flies were droning buzzes around her, and the echoes of chatter, clanking forks and fake outbursts of amusement, Mai decided, were bad enough to drive ~anyone~ insane!  
  
She surveyed the rest of the scene around her for any evidence of human life. No one. Good.  
  
Maiaza jumped over the railing to the deck below, making sure to land gently in case someone unexpected was near enough to hear. This was a much more efficient way of navigating through the ship, but she had a diffident nagging feeling that the crew wouldn't appreciate the tactic.  
  
She continued down, effectively keeping her presence a secret. It wasn't too long until the very last jump came into view. Maiaza swiped a bit of cheese and bread from the open kitchen counter, casually striding by.  
  
/I need to get off this ship!/ Her mind screamed. If only for a few hours, her plan should work. She had seen a massive tree in the distance that looked like a lovely setting for an evening picnic, and that was precisely where she was going to go!  
  
With a running leap, her feet connected with real ground for the first time in days. The people running the ship didn't want anyone to get off, just in case someone somehow managed to lose themselves in unused surroundings. But Maiaza immediately disregarded the warning with a snort, as she recalled. Seriously. She had lived her entire life in the largest metropolis in Gaia, surely, she could find her way back to an overgrown airship.  
  
Fuming, she stalked deeper into the darkness.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
/Wow. This is bigger than I thought./ Her jaw grew slack and dropped at the closer inspection of the "pleasant" tree. Maiaza shivered despite the still- warm air.  
  
Over the course of her life, she had never heard, or come across anything connected to this place, but Maiaza had an increasingly tense stomach to testify that it was to be respected. /Silly. Come on, respect a ~tree~?/ Large, thick roots surrounded the trunk in about a mile radius. They looked sturdy enough, but that wasn't the main cause of her doubts; it was the mist.  
  
In general, the northern continent seemed almost completely devoid of the hurtful fog, but here, it seemed as thick as it always was around Dragon Gate, if not more. Maiaza had heard the rumors, just like anyone else on the planet. The rumors about the mist. . .  
  
/Aw hell, I've dealt with it before!/ She rolled her eyes. This was ~her~ life now, so she wasn't readily going to immediately fall for a few far- fetched rumors. Sure, mist ~was~ unnerving looking, but the worst thing to come out of its depths were a few monsters, and any child living in Lindblum under any sort of not-so-good circumstances would know how to take down a few pesky monsters!  
  
She stomped forward in irritated determination, with her lips pursed, and her eyes narrowed.  
  
The roots twisted and turned every which way, but Mai managed to keep her direction forward. In the gradually dense mist, it almost sounded like howls haunting her every footstep. Without even realizing it for a while longer, her agitation was shining through by way of pale pace, trembling and widening eyes.  
  
/Come ~on~ Mai!/ her mind screamed. /This is ridiculous! There's nothing to be afr--/  
  
~*Creak*~  
  
/What was that?!/ she stopped dead on the swaying vine. Wait a second. . .SWINGING?!  
  
"Oh damn." It was the only thing she had a chance to say before  
  
~*Snap*~  
  
Maiaza screamed as she felt herself fall down into the misty abyss.  
  
She fainted before she hit the ground.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
~laaaa la la la. . .la la la la la~  
  
/Who's singing?/  
  
~laa la la la la. . .l-la la la laaaa~  
  
/So pretty. . ./  
  
~la la, la laaaa la la la~  
  
/Where have I heard this before?/  
  
~la la la la laaa, la la la la laaaa~  
  
/No one. . .ever sang for me. . ./  
  
~Forever and Beyond. . .~  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Oh ~ow~."  
  
Everything ached. She couldn't see anything around her, and she didn't know how to get out.  
  
/Not good./  
  
Maiaza rubbed her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting a little quicker. Her entire body and clothes ensemble were covered in years' worth of dust and a few random twigs. She found herself plucking a few of them off absently, contemplating her situation, so she finally looked up in an attempt to estimate her odds of escape. The distance and focusing on it made her head spin, and she knew at once that ~that~ tactic would be entirely unreasonable. It was way too far to climb. . .  
  
She rubbed her nose and sniffed. /I may die here, but this isn't any time to cry. To let my emotions show means even more pain./  
  
She didn't even notice that she was clearly quite and utterly alone.  
  
But instead, she dropped her head to her bent knees in despair, and instinctively numbed her mind in hopelessness.  
  
How long she stayed in that peculiar state of shock, Maiaza had no idea, but once the initial mental-pains had long since been drugged out of her mind in fear of losing all she had, it seemed even darker down there than before. But she could make out something different than before, one of those things that only darkness betrayed; a strangely gentle emerald glow from around a corner, that was otherwise bathed in ominous shadows.  
  
Curiosity doubled with the careless and hopeless feeling form before, gave her the strength to rise from her almost certain early grave. The caked-on gray dust, toppled over her in dull waves, and she coughed violently from the feeling of dry particles floating down her throat. Her throat contracted, finally swallowing the last bit of grime, as she began stumbling on her way, in the search of the light's source.  
  
Maiaza's eyes began to water from the unexpected pain of her bruised legs. She didn't seem to be making ~any~ progress, based off of the effort she was applying, but she finally managed to stumble over to the corner without much trouble.  
  
She grimaced to the open sky, and took a small break. It was truly pathetic how she could barely walk twenty feet without breathing hard.  
  
Her legs managed to take one step around the corner before she collapsed again, with a faint sound of pain. The light appeared much brighter here, than in the other "room", but incredibly enough, all she could see was a tiny, but evident, splotch in the gloom.  
  
Small sticks and rocks grinded and snapped under her hands as she crawled forward. Something seemed to be overwhelmingly curious about that cleared splotch, only about one foot in diameter.  
  
The chocolate of her eyes squinted as she moved forward, until her pointed nose was only inches from it.  
  
It pulsed. Like it was a heart beating, or a lung breathing. Either way, for some reason, it seemed ~alive~.  
  
As she inspected it even closer, the light flickered and changed its position a bit. Realization dawned on her /It's liquid!/. Her eyes widened and her fingers gently brushed its surface; cold, smooth and very brightly lit. Maiaza was startled by a shadow on the other side, slowly drifting towards her, but, somehow she wasn't afraid. On the contrary, it was as if something was comforting her considerably about the increasing shadow in the emerald depths, in her own soul. Like an addictive drug.  
  
/Hey, that kinda looks like a hand. . ./  
  
~*BANG*~  
  
A deep, loud sound rattled her eardrums, and before she understood what was happening, a large explosion sent her flying backward.  
  
/Bad day./  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"You called?"  
  
"Of course I did you idiot! You have had yet to report back to me on your mission."  
  
"It was successful."  
  
"Is that all you have to say for yourself?"  
  
"Your agents were successfully annihilated."  
  
"And the girl?"  
  
"The girl was gone."  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"My lord, she will not survive for long. She has no place to go, and the streets of Lindblum have always been deadly for those who do not understand its secrets. I suspect that she will be dead within the next couple of days."  
  
"You better be right, I have no intention of keeping. . .~failures~ within my inner circle."  
  
"Of course not my lord."  
  
"What of the 'Rose'?"  
  
"He has been properly dispatched at the Iifa tree, just as you have planned."  
  
"Good. If the boy is not captured, our plan will completely dissolve. You know?"  
  
"Yes. Now, my lord?"  
  
"What now?!"  
  
"If you don't mind me asking; why didn't you just send one of us? Our skills are far superior to those of the Rose Alliance, and there has been. . .'trouble' with one of them in the past."  
  
"Pft. The NIGHT Rose. That is not a valid point at all."  
  
"You haven't answered my question."  
  
". . .I don't trust you."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sheesh. That didn't take TOO long, now did it? I've a roll going now! The only thing is. . .I've probably just confused the hell out of you again. ^^ Please don't hurt meeee! *ducks*  
  
Alright, only one more week until winter break, and the Two Towers is coming out on Friday! Heh heh, my Christmas list has turned out unusually long. . .  
  
Well, you know the drill I suppose. PLEASE REVIEW! And don't forget, constructive criticism is VERY much appreciated. It makes my writing better!  
  
Until next time, my fello fanfic freaks!  
  
giggleplex 


	7. The White One

Disclaimer: Don't own FF9, why do you even bother anyways?!  
  
Rhea Chryseis - Teehee, hope this chappie settles some things for ya! Awesomeness has to be the kewlest word EVER!  
  
Dagger - Gomen, I'm sorry about confusion, but it seems to be my specialty! ^^ Actually, I have played FFs 6-10. . .numerous times actually. In FF10, I have managed to guide Rikku through the ENTIRE sphere grid, get all of the aeons, and complete all of the celestial weapons (not including Tidus', I hate racing chocobos there!)  
  
And actually, Zidane does have green eyes. I have the book "The Art of Final Fantasy IX" for reference (yes, sad I know)  
  
Eika - I read a bunch too, you should try "Arrows of the Queen" by Mercedes Lackey if you're into fantasy. It's excellent, AND had sequels ^^ Those are some of my favorites.  
  
  
  
'Kay everybody, this chapter is OFFICIALLY dedicated to Rhea Chryseis and ~her~ awesomeness! Hope ya love it Rhea!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Maiaza recovered incredibly quickly, and oddly enough, rejuvenated. Her arms feebly pushed off even more random debris than before, finally ending in a little grunt.  
  
She thought she heard coughing, but simply rolled her eyes to herself in disgust at her increasingly sad discovery of being delusional lately. The thick dust had still yet to clear, so she waved her hands in an attempt to avoid further contamination of her lungs. It did not take her long to realize it hardly made a difference in the vast unknown before her.  
  
The faint glimmer of emerald was the first to catch her eyes. She slowly bent down to inspect it closer, brushing a bit of the seemingly alien substance onto the palm of her hand, and gasping in surprise as it quickly absorbed into her dilated pores.  
  
/Potion!/ It's antics were unmistakable. /This must be what was inside that thing!/  
  
Her eyes drew up, as she sensed the dust clearing through the corner of her eye, and jumped slightly at hearing another vicious round of coughing, and violent regurgitation. Surprised and somewhat alarmed at how real this 'imagining' seemed, she walked slowly and cautiously toward the humanoid sounds.  
  
A hunching figure greeted her sight.  
  
Maiaza whimpered back as the person was obviously busy being sick on the masked ground. Because of the mass of fluffy silver hair, she could not specify it's gender in her mind's eye, nor its age, but a feeling of overwhelming pity crept over her; someone was there, in the same unfavorable situation as she.  
  
Potion was strewn in a thick puddle, widespread around the person. Finally, after a particularly nasty sounding gag, Maiaza cleared her throat to alert it of her presence.  
  
A pale face tilted up to hers, incredibly green orbs fluctuated in confusion. The small lips parted slightly in a soundless 'oh', and the boy's overgrown hair sheltered him from anything, ~everything~; tangled and oddly vibrant in the faint moonlight.  
  
The two of them stared at each other for a prolonging second, when Maiaza was the first to speak; "Who are you?"  
  
He immediately looked down, causing her eyes widening at the sight of the thin clothing he wore. . .or lack thereof. Without a second thought, she slipped off the training pants, leaving only her soft, mu-skin under breeches and tossed the looser version to him. Her eyes averted, and he warily understood, putting them on with a breathless expression of thanks.  
  
"I. . .don't know." He answered, a lovely, velvet-like voice ringing out, like the noonday bells.  
  
Maiaza was extremely confused. "How could you ~not~ know your own name?"  
  
He simply shook his head, hair floating out eerily at the small movement. "I don't remember."  
  
"How did you get here?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
She sighed on exasperation.  
  
"Well, looks like we'll be stuck here for a while, then." Maiaza held out her hand, and hoisted the boy up from the ground. He wobbled a bit, but eventually recovered his footing.  
  
A sharp intake of breath followed her second-long examination of the strange boy. He looked about her age, but his over-large eyes lacked experience, and his thin, bony body looked as though he had ever eaten anything in his life! She told him so, he only shrugged again.  
  
"Who are you?" He asked quietly and unsurely.  
  
"My name's Maiaza." She grinned, trying to bring a little more to the dully depressing conversation. But he did not see for his eyes were elsewhere, to the ground to be exact, eyebrows furrowed in thought.  
  
A faint clatter seemed to sound in the distance.  
  
"What was that!?" he was stiff in alertness now, obviously not as inexperienced as Maiaza previously suspected.  
  
"Just a figment of my imagination." It was true too, or at least that was what she kept telling herself.  
  
But, then again, she was only fooling herself. . .and obviously the boy as well.  
  
~*CRASH*~  
  
She instinctively pulled him in the opposite direction of the now severed wall, dreading what would surely appear next. This mini-explosion didn't set off nearly as much dust as the other two down there, but with a vicious roar that followed almost immediately, she wouldn't have minded it anyways.  
  
It was an ugly thing; no visible eyes, shapeless body and rows upon rows of wicked, pointy teeth. They both held their breath as one, watching in terror as it struggled, breathing rapidly, and snorting off the remnants of mist through it's slitted nostrils.  
  
To Maiaza's utter amazement and horror, the boy beside her spoke:  
  
"Can it see us?"  
  
The beast faced them immediately after the words escaped, and she felt the distinctive feeling of blood draining quickly out of her face.  
  
"Guess it can now. . .RUN!" it roared again, and lunged at the two humans. Maiaza grabbed his cold arm, and wrenched him over with her, as she sprinted madly to the opening the beast had created.  
  
They ran down a natural corridor.  
  
"Why the ~hell~ didja just do that?!" she yelled over her shoulder angrily.  
  
"I'm sorry!" he faltered "I didn't know--"  
  
"Well don't you know anything?!" she spat. Maiaza had never been that frightened before, except possibly facing the Night Rose alone, but still! If that was a mist monster, it sure wasn't like the ones back home! Boy, that kid had a lot of nerve. . .  
  
She jerked them both to a more open chamber, with him skidding satisfyingly into a wall. Despite the fact that they couldn't hear anything following them anymore, they ran as fast as they could, in any direction they could find. Maiaza wasn't the only one still freaked out by the close encounter.  
  
Even his bare feet echoed through the gloomy passage, their uneven breaths making an odd rhythm with the footsteps. Their eyes burned from traveling through air unaccustomed to human presence.  
  
"W-where are we going?" he managed to stammer out between breaths.  
  
"Dunno." She answered shortly, still clinging to his bony arm tightly. The darkness shed a foreboding mood on the both of them, who could barely see where they were heading. "That must be coming from the outside though, I bet we can get out now." She felt too adrenaline hit to exclaim her excitement.  
  
Then, quite suddenly, Maiaza's over-large feet failed her, as she tripped on an abruptly jutting rock.  
  
"Oof!" she yelled, as the two of them toppled over one another, squinting their eyes tightly in mixed pain and a hope to prevent anymore. They stopped in a dizzy heap.  
  
Her head pounded, as she rubbed it violently. That was certainly a rough fall, even by her standards.  
  
A sleepy growl and vaguely moving shape was before her, when she realized just where the two of them had ended up. For the second time, a pregnant pause ensued between the two of them; hearing now, a great deal more growls than before.  
  
/Oh no./  
  
They both stumbled and scrambled back, blindly reaching for unfound barriers, and finally turning, still disbelieving of their dangerous luck in the deadly situation.  
  
The two of them vaguely heard the numerous, overpowering roars as they ran. As fast as they could.  
  
Faster than they had ever run before.  
  
Maiaza's mood was beyond crying. Absolute horror took her to a purely instinctual stage, but she never let go of him. Only dragging him farther and farther into the seemingly endless void, fueled only with the reminder of the barbaric roars sounding from behind.  
  
Relief shivered through her body as hope was conjured through the form of a dazzling dawn in an opening ahead. They continued sprinting, but the massive army of beasts behind them still trudged on. She refused to give into the temptation of looking back.  
  
Then, as the boy had already been stumbling for the past forty feet or so, he took a headfirst plunge into the ground, taking Maiaza along with him.  
  
She pushed, she drug, she screamed, but no matter what she did, he still wouldn't budge one bit. His face was buried in the ground, his limbs; shaking rapidly.  
  
"Come on!" she yelled, still urging him to continue, but her antics seemed to go unnoticed. Time seemed to slow. . .  
  
Maiaza wrenched her head back, pupils quickly shrinking in fear as she spotted hundreds of savage beasts coming closer and closer to her certain doom.  
  
Fifty feet.  
  
Images of life passed through her brain. How she had managed to survive so far was almost unbelievable, but there was no way she could escape now.  
  
Forty feet.  
  
She supposed. . .she just was never meant to be free.  
  
Thirty feet.  
  
She closed her stinging and tearing eyes tightly, automatically pushing salt water down her cheek.  
  
Twenty feet.  
  
Time was slowing even more now. Oh how she wished for anything to help her then. . ./Help us please. . ./  
  
Ten feet.  
  
An odd tugging sensation began around her shoulders, when it almost seemed as if she were floating dreamily. Maiaza still kept her eyes tightened shut.  
  
::. . .I shall help, for a call is rare in these events' passing. . .::  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Oooooooh, the plot thickens eh? ^^ Unless I am very much mistaken, there aren't too many fanfics out there like this one, and I hope it ends up thoughtful and surprising for all of you. If you are eager to confirm any suspicions, I am terribly sorry but you must wait, though not for quite as long I think, because it's winter break!  
  
Everybody should see Spirited Away and The Two Towers. NOW I TELL YOU!  
  
Happy Holidays!  
  
giggleplex (the happily obsessed one over certain bishies and of course, commas) 


	8. O Lady Savior

Leon: *holds up sign* giggle does not own FF.  
  
Damn straight. *sticks tongue out at official looking folks*  
  
Eika - Patience my friend. ^^ Teehee, you'll find out. . .not so soon enough, but still!  
  
Rhea Chryseis - Glad ya liked it! I was in the middle of writing it, when I decided to dedicate SOMETHING to you (you wrote my first review. . .ever!), so this seemed adequate.  
  
But about Spirited Away, that's really too bad, because it was really awesome. Ah. . .Haku. . .*drool*, but anywho, the animation's wonderful, the music brought tears to my eyes before the storyline came into play, and the story was just one of those warm-and-fuzzy-inside events. Hope you love it WHEN you see it (because you will ^^)  
  
Jensui - You really scared me there for a second! *laughs nervously* I don't do cliffies on purpose. . .~really~. . .  
  
tanuki and Leopox - Yup. It probably is who you're thinking of. Thank you so much for the compliment, I hope I'll see you around more often!  
  
Gold Mage - You don't have to apologize. . .I'm just thankful there are people reading it! Heh heh, Christmas Eve: the not-so-holiday, dedicated to getting free time XP  
  
  
  
I think this should satisfy at least SOME cliffy-itis. ^^  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The mysterious silver-haired raised his eyes slowly, a bit of dry clay tumbling in rocky beads down his sweaty face. The monsters should have gotten to them by now, but he felt nothing.  
  
Strangely enough, they stayed ~stationary~, at least the front line did. Their horrifically numerous legs pawed the ground nervously.  
  
His feather-like head fluffed a bit as he turned toward his new comrade. He felt his throat tighten as he noticed that she seemed to be glowing an odd blue around the surface of her skin, with eyes closed, face contorted in dreading fear.  
  
The monsters seemed wary of her new appearance, some backing up a bit while sniffing in distaste. But one in the very back row roared angrily at the hesitation, managing to stumble over the ranks to the two of them.  
  
He crawled backwards, distancing himself from it, but he knew it wouldn't be enough.  
  
It gave one rearing before charging again. . .  
  
. . .and was abruptly shot down by a crystal spear.  
  
The boy turned back to Maiaza, but she hadn't even budged from her previous position. He sensed a bit of movement behind her abnormally still figure, so as he whimpered for an answer to his recent savior, he squinted to the horizon.  
  
Something blue and glittering was coming.  
  
It grew larger and larger quite quickly, proving to him eventually it was a humanoid figure. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes in disbelief, for though he understood clearly of his clouded memory and had only been retrieving it for a very short time so far, he shouldn't be condemning things as 'ridiculously surreal' when the only person he had ever met was Maiaza. . .  
  
. . .but BLUE skin?  
  
The newcomer gave one more graceful leap, sending up little puffs of dust around her bare feet.  
  
His throat relaxed in painful trust at the person, coupled with an immediate trust despite her abrupt arrival. She was. . .~beautiful~, there was no other term for it. She stood over six-feet tall, an intricate silver headdress placed carefully over her pointy ears. Every bit of her, including the elegant, thin robe she wore, glittered brightly in the dawning desert sun, and her stance was so dominantly sure, the army of monsters seemed to matter to her at all.  
  
She stood for a moment of two, staring at the beasts in that mysteriously superior manner. Her arm made a great arc upward, as her fingers slowly traced up to her lips.  
  
Glitter swirled out of her breath as she licked her lips and smirked oddly. It blew in all directions, strangely enough managing to glaze ALL of the monsters, and the boy barely blinked before they were instantly paralyzed in the same strange crystal as the spear. The woman topped it all off in an elegant twirl and twist of her headdress, before they were all entirely encased.  
  
A frightening dance. But ~beautiful~ as well.  
  
The threat of his life was gone so quickly, it caused his head to spin dreamily. He turned toward her, face so contorted in thanks, he was certain she could feel it radiating off of him like Maiaza's odd glow.  
  
She simply smiled, gazing at him sideways, hesitating toward the horizon again, but slowly stepping toward him. With every light step of hers, he could hear the jingling of echoed bells and a damp footprint was laid out after her. The boy should have felt terrified, should have somehow realized that someone with so much power as she displayed, could have killed him easily.  
  
But he didn't. She bent down, pressing her icy lips upon his pale forehead. It was a considerable shock, but he withstood it, feeling honored by this unexpected gesture, he was certain for fondness. And incredibly enough, this lady seemed so ~familiar~ to him.  
  
She straightened back up, smiling again, but sadly this time. Her beauty illuminated her supposed emotion, making it dreadfully tragic, and suddenly, he felt almost fierce in determination to make her feel happy again. The dust in his curled fists growled slightly, as it rubbed against itself in agitation.  
  
He managed to scramble up as she slowly strode toward Maiaza. Her eyes looked down at her curiously, as she somehow managed to conjure two long somethings from a long sleeve. In one fluid motion, she set it down in front of her.  
  
And by the time he blinked again, she disappeared somehow.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Maiaza felt oddly light headed and confused as she opened her eyes. She remembered closing them earlier, but that was all. When she opened them, it seemed like there was something more, a sense of fulfillment somehow, but she felt ~so~ tired.  
  
Yet the scene that greeted her sight, puzzled her thoughts even more.  
  
It was a dazzling sea of ice in the middle of a barren desert, steaming up calmly as the sun rose. She rubbed her eyes doubtfully, and looked down, but still no immediate memories came.  
  
"What happened?" she said to no one in particular. The last thing she remembered was almost being destroyed, and ~that~ obviously didn't occur. Her breath sped in panic, as impossible possibilities raced wildly through her mind; /Did I go back in time? Am I dead? Is this heaven?/  
  
"The lady. . .saved us." A reserved voice replied, causing Maiaza to jump slightly. She had completely forgotten about him, but the assured way he held himself now, made her believe that he didn't happen to black out.  
  
"What lady?" she inquired, dusting herself off.  
  
"The blue lady."  
  
He wasn't even facing her, just staring off into the vast distance. "She stopped all of the monsters."  
  
Maiaza raised an eyebrow. /Is this kid insane?/ it took a respected level of self control, not to just inch away quietly, and set him free in his own little world. But as she squinted harder, and examined the ice closer, she could see them; all of them preserved, and most certainly dead.  
  
Her sandy head turned in surprise to the surreal appearance of the boy, who was still calmly averting his attention. Only one simple thought ran through her head now; /Is he actually telling the truth?/  
  
"She left you something."  
  
He now gracefully raised his head, and pointed to an object that was before overlooked, near where she had recently risen from. A small breeze blew past him, ruffling his ground-length hair, and light pants. Maiaza stumbled dubiously over to it, but feeling rather unworthy of his regal appearance.  
  
She snatched it off of the ground, completely unprepared for what they turned out to be.  
  
". . .Swords?" she asked, catching her breath. /What on earth would I do with ~swords~?/  
  
Lifting the hilts carefully, she turned them around and points facing outward. There were two of them; about two inches wide, and two-and-a-half feet long, curving wickedly to sharp points. The hilts were silver as well, intricately laden with strange etchings she could only begin to comprehend. There were also large, bulbous opals that were glittering pleasantly in any wake they could find. Obviously expensive. Not obvious why they were there.  
  
"They must be for you," she didn't notice that he had walked up beside her, until he spoke. "she left them right next to you."  
  
"I believe you." She said, not really paying much attention. They were beautiful, beautiful but deadly.  
  
He looked down, sensing her lack of attention. The sun was already scorching, as evidence of his increasingly reddened back.  
  
"So, where are we going now?"  
  
~That~ seemed to spark her attention, as she broke her oblivious trance in horror, and muttered something under her breath. She scrambled up, and started to run in the direction which looked to hold some green in the distance.  
  
"Where are you going?" his tone rang clearly out to her.  
  
"~The ship~" she yelled back frantically "where is it?!"  
  
He started after her, but was unable to keep up. "Wait!" he yelled, but she didn't seem to hear him.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
The boy soon caught up to her; head buried in her hands and knees dug into the ground. He made just enough noise on his last step to alert her of his presence, and she looked up.  
  
Her face was red and blotchy, also swelled oddly especially around her eyes. Shiny teardrops sparkled down her cheeks, and she occasionally made little breaking sounds as she shuddered each time.  
  
"The ship. . .it's ~gone~. They didn't wait for me."  
  
"What's the ship?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.  
  
"Our only ticket out of this overgrown sand-box." She made an angry face at a nearby rock.  
  
His face darkened, as he placed a careful hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Let's not worry about that now, you look sick." He didn't know or understand the cause of the wetness along her cheekbones, but he was sure it didn't look natural.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You're cheeks," he indicated with a wave of hand "they're all wet. What did you do to them?"  
  
Maiaza rolled her eyes hatefully. "You don't have to rub it in you know!"  
  
The boy offered a step back at her snap, extremely confused. She stared at him for a moment.  
  
"You mean to tell me that you've never seen someone cry before?!"  
  
His eyebrows furrowed for a second in concentration, but he eventually shook his head "What's crying, Maiaza?"  
  
She gaped at him widely, temporarily forgetting her dilemma.  
  
"Well. . .um. . ." This kid was unbelievable! But she never guessed that his amnesia could be ~this~ bad. And anyway, something that basic was just plain hard to explain, especially for Maiaza, who never was that gifted with words.  
  
"It's what you when you're really sad, or angry, or sometimes even when you're happy. You're eyes get all watered and. . .it all spills out I guess.  
  
"Oh." He paused for a moment "Are you happy Maiaza?"  
  
"What? NO!" she snapped, waving her arms for effect.  
  
"Huh." Faint surprise etched on his pale face as he stood there, touching his cheeks gently in comprehension. She shifted her weight a bit, again feeling awkward and insuperior in his presence.  
  
/So bizarre./ At least the boy was honest, and in a state to readily learn anything that came his way. Before she even knew what she was doing, before she even got to know the boy, she made a silent, but considerable pledge:  
  
/We learn together./  
  
Feeling a bit better, she arose shaking, and took an extended breath of rejuvenation.  
  
"I don't think we should worry about that right now. I mean, what's done is done I suppose." His wise statement was said firmly, and he met her eyes in fearless calm.  
  
She let out a long sigh, somewhat surprised by his bold and oddly appropriate light-shedding. "I guess you're right." Maiaza stated miserably.  
  
His gaze averted to the horizon, almost feeling a gentle push.  
  
"I know I am."  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Okay. I was actually planning on writing even more for this chapter, but then the subjects for each one would be all screwed up, and that would make things. . .that's right; confusing.  
  
Before you ask, I would like to inform you all that the weirdo dude she found soaking in potion, is indeed. . .  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
*large breath of anticipation*  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Telling the truth about losing his memory. *laughs wickedly at lack of response* It WAS important you know.  
  
So R+R people, ESPECIALLY if you have something worth saying. Don't be afraid, I'm not like the columnist who bites every time you send a letter! ^^  
  
Saw Spirited Away again because my birthday's on the 7th. Wonderful AGAIN (this is the third time)  
  
Toodles for now.  
  
giggleplex 


	9. Kuja

DISCLAIMER - I barely own the new lace-up-Doc-Marten-boots I just received! HOW could I own a precious thing like FFIX?!  
  
  
  
Ah yes, the ninth installment of my first little ficlet. Get it . . . ~9~, FFIX?  
  
Okay, that was lame, but you're still going to read it, right?  
  
  
  
Eika -Heh. Calm down, everything will be okaaaaaay . . . but seriously, I don't mind much. The reviews I do get are always positive, and many of you place it on your favorite stories lists when you read it! It's the most wonderful thing to get a thoughtful review, and I have to profoundly thank you on your thoughtfulness. I was thinking about it, and I was debating on whether or not . . . but, though I understand it's certainly not my best . . .  
  
  
  
I DEDICATE MY ~BIRTHDAY~ CHAPPIE TO YOU; EIKA! You're one of the reasons I still work on this thing . . .  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
"Maiaza?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"We should probably stop for now, it's getting dark."  
  
"If you say so, but it ~would~ be a lot easier to walk when it's cooler outside--"  
  
"~Please~ Maiaza?"  
  
"Fine."  
  
The sandy-haired girl abruptly sat down. It had been an exhausting day, with the firm memory of swirling winds, blowing dust and grit into their tightened eyes, all the while trying to evade the tiny, prickly tumble- weeds dancing between their ankles.  
  
Everywhere she ached, but she forced herself to put up with it, for she was certain her companion was much worse off. Tightening her hands to fists, she absently massaged her outstretched legs with the knuckles, grimacing a bit.  
  
"Ouch! Sheesh, have I been getting soft . . . " she rested for a moment, forcing herself into a deep calming action of extended breaths.  
  
The silver-haired boy fell backward into the sandy dirt, oblivious to the uncomfortable surface and said nothing at first. An outstretched masterpiece was laid out before him, bright and plentiful stars, twinkling mischievously.  
  
"Hey, um . . . ~God~! You sure you don't have a name!" she cried out into the silence "This is getting ~really~ annoying . . . I'm not old enough to call you 'kid', and you're not old enough to be called 'mister'!"  
  
He only shrugged in indifference, now admiring the crescent moon. "Why don't you just give me a name, if it means so much to you."  
  
Maiaza scowled, resting her chin on her knee.  
  
"~I'm~ not supposed to give you a name, your mother is." Yet she bit her lip in thought, suddenly grasping the ghost of an idea "Wait, how about--"  
  
"--Kuja"  
  
She spun around, expecting to find someone there to accompany the strange voice that instantly sent a chill up her tanning neck, but only night- shadows looked dispassionately back.  
  
As she turned back, he was sitting upright and rigid. For a split second, she thought she saw a boldly drained look of horror that resembled a shade of sour milk, but it was gone quicker than in had come.  
  
"Where did you come up with that name?" his voice deadly calm.  
  
"Huh? But I didn't say th--"  
  
She stopped herself in mid-thought. The evidence was there all right; the slightly moistened throat, and the tingling backlash of movement in her lips.  
  
~She~ had said it. But somehow, she hadn't.  
  
Maiaza gulped. /Was I possessed?/ At the church back in Lindblum, they had briefly mentioned the circumstances of possession, an act in which the great God did not approve, and they certainly weren't favorable.  
  
"Oh. ~Kuja~. Yeah . . . um, it just came to me I guess." She laughed nervously, and from what she could make of the look he was giving her, he knew she wasn't being entirely truthful, but said nothing.  
  
The boy only reclined again in thought. Though, quite suddenly, he began to clutch his head, as a hiss and moan of pain escaped his lips.  
  
She quickly pushed herself over to his side "Are you okay?"  
  
With one last painful squint of his eyes, his body sagged and he removed the shelter of his hands. "Yes. I think I am now." He didn't even look at her "'Kuja's' . . . fine I suppose."  
  
Then, the strange boy fell backwards, unmistakably and profoundly asleep. Maiaza sighed, arranging herself comfortably, and fell into her unconscious dreamland as well.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Kuja woke with a sharp intake of breath, as his body went rigidly upright. It took him a moment for things to sink back in, and he relaxed considerably with realization.  
  
He smiled a bit at Maiaza's ridiculous sprawl a few feet away. Her face was smudged against the grainy dirt, her legs bent awkwardly, and face a little bit too rosy. She continued to sleep undisturbed, and completely oblivious to her companion's rising.  
  
Taking hold of a bit of pale silver hair, he winced at the crust texture; result of traveling in a sandstorm it seemed like. The boy quickly withdrew his combing fingers from the chaotically dry mass, and nudged Maiaza's arm for her to awaken.  
  
A transformation immediately underwent on Maiaza, with him only catching a tiny glimpse of what appeared to be pure terror, but when her wide almond eyes fell upon his astonished face, she relaxed.  
  
"Oh, I thought . . . never mind." She said, shaking her untidy head violently. "Guess it's time to go now, huh?"  
  
He simply nodded, getting to his feet. His arms stretched up to the desert dawn in a controlled motion, and he yawned.  
  
"Here." She tossed a small roll to him, who caught in surprise. "it's all we have for now, but I'm starved, as of now."  
  
Kuja twisted it around in his extended fingertips curiously. "What do I do with it?"  
  
Maiaza fixed him with that disbelieving, or unbelieving, stare. "You ~eat it~."  
  
"How?"  
  
She sighed, demonstrating by stuffing hers into her mouth, and swallowing it with a single gulp. While her red cheeks were pudged out, she grinned widely, and closed her eyes in bliss.  
  
Even though he still had doubts about the tan-box-thing, he managed to mimic her action, now finding the action of swallowing easing that constant pain in his stomach. "Mmm."  
  
As she picked up her glittering twin swords and slung her pack over her shoulder carelessly, she began to walk forward a few steps.  
  
"What was that?!" he felt something abrupt, dizzy a bit as if the ground had dropped a few feet below its original placement. Without being entirely conscious of it, his eyebrow began to sweat, his body shaking in fear of the fearful unknown. "~Maiaza~" he said, voice reduced to a croak.  
  
She just looked at him, puzzled.  
  
"What on earth are you talking ab--"  
  
The, she heard it. An ominous and diffidently crescendo rumble whose source lay in the wide-spread distance. It wasn't too long before the little dusty pebbles around her feet began to shake, and eventually jump around wildly at the commotion. Under black eyebrows, her chocolate orbs squinted at an unexpected movement on the horizon. When it finally became clear to her what it was, she reacted instantly.  
  
"~Hold your breath~!"  
  
Even though he was as pale as parchment, he managed a shaky nod, and thankfully heeded her words.  
  
A few tension-full seconds passed, before the billowing cloud of mist overcame them.  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
So, whaddya think?! HUH? HUH? HUH?  
  
I eagerly await your comments, and hope that at least overall, I am pleasing you in my progress. Sometimes, no wait . . . ~all~ the time I'm a tad bit verbose, but it works, does it not? Tell me! My adoptive-octopus- brother-Bob, and Charlie the Tuna say they like it, but sometimes they're a bit biased in their opinions.  
  
My birthday is on Tuesday! WOOHOO!  
  
So why not leave me a present . . . a REVIEW possibly?!  
  
Thank you so much for reading!  
  
Toodles.  
  
giggleplex 


	10. Spectacular Fun in the Desert!

DISCLAIMER: I am quite well aware of the fact I don't own your stupid company. If I did, FFXI wouldn't be an online game, now WOULD IT?!  
  
  
  
Eika - *blushes* Thank you for the song! Heh heh, the Macarena is the only dance I know as well . . . oh poor socially inept me (not really ^^), who instead of attending loud and vivacious parties along with the rest of her friends, writes and reads a great deal of fanfiction (an unhealthy amount, of course).  
  
My full idea for what happened to Kuja, is FAR from over. Teehee, I'm glad you like it!  
  
Thanks for reviewing my poem . . . *bawls her eyes out*  
  
Vincent: *is still looking at poem* Child? Who is this child you speak of . . .  
  
I swear, he NEEDS to find his inner child.  
  
Leon: But first, let's weigh out our priorities; do we SERIOUSLY need to have him running around the set with a lollipop, and singing "row row row your boat" at the top of his lungs?!  
  
Oooh . . . *shudder* . . . then again, we already have one of my bishies in that situation.  
  
Kuja: *skips up to brooding Vincent* Hey VINNNNNNNIE! Meet my new best friend; Mr. Lollipop--  
  
Leon: Oh dear GOD no!  
  
Ryou: *listening to headphones*  
  
Thanks for the recommendations as well!  
  
  
  
Rhea Chryseis - Woohoo! I spelled your name correctly, WITHOUT LOOKING! *does happity dance*  
  
Yeah, FFX Shiva is so awesome. And the whole "celestial weapons" connection with Lulu, made her seem all the kewler. ^^  
  
Thank you for the birthday greetings!  
  
  
  
Well, here is the long-awaited (but certainly not anticipated, but you just wait, I'll make a good fic someday . . . ), chapter 10 of my very first fanfiction. I trust you need no more foolish introductions of mine.  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
A few tension-filled seconds passed before the billowing of mist overcame them. It was a genuine mist-storm, with the dangerous stuff flowing up her nostrils, giving the odd sensation of cooking flower, and the force pushing against her body was so strong, she was certain it would have supported her weight if she had cared to test it. Maiaza felt her eyes firmly tighten shut.  
  
The substance pounded past her ears in dreadful waves, whistling with a kind of gloomy passion. These spontaneous storms came about once or twice a year around Lindblum, and weren't necessarily as dangerous as they appeared, if you knew how to handle the situation. She was dimly aware of her hair dislodging itself from the knot, and flip wildly in distress behind her, now causing a bit of Maiaza's guard to let down, and forcing her down into the crumbling sand.  
  
A dull, metallic taste became even more noticeable at the contact of the ground; not blood, but the distinct taste of awry magic. She only carried a small bit of white magic (because all humans were born with it), but what little she had, always reacted in the midst of the storms. Quickly managing upright, she clamped a hand over her nose and mouth to keep from breathing the mist in.  
  
They always told you that it was dangerous to your gentle balance of mental sanity.  
  
Then, ending with a peculiar flourish, the storm stopped, leaving the two teens madly gasping for uncontaminated air.  
  
Maiaza now found herself in a pool of dislodged dust. She peered over her shoulder to her companion, who was frighteningly pale, and drenched in a muddy, cold sweat, and clutching his chest. She noticed now that his hair was completely unsalvageable, forming in a mad frizz below his shoulders, contrary to its first silky splendor.  
  
They sat silent for a moment.  
  
"I-I ~know~ that stuff." He whimpered, shaking uncontrollably.  
  
"Yeah, you and everyone else who lives in Gaia." She was slightly alarmed at his unusually uncomfortable attitude, but didn't let it show. He appeared somewhat noxious, similar to Alice's (and her children's) after a mist storm, though theirs were nowhere near this kind of intensity. As a matter of fact, it more closely resembled the kind of reaction from the black-mage-servants in the noble houses, who lit the fires, washed the dishes, cleaned the houses . . . nothing could ever get done with the mages in bed, after the mist storms. But ~he~ certainly wasn't a black mage!  
  
/Maybe he's a healer of some kind./  
  
"You okay?" she asked with a skeptic glance.  
  
"Y-yeah, I'm f-f--" he gave a violent shudder, and would have keeled over painfully if Maiaza hadn't caught him.  
  
She sighed. "Sit."  
  
He slid through her slackening grip in a more gravity-controlled action than really healthy, but he didn't seem to notice. Just trembling with a shaken look on his face.  
  
Maiaza sat down behind him. "Say 'goodbye hair'" she slowly pulled out one of her swords to suspend the slight awe she still felt.  
  
"Goodbye hair."  
  
It sliced cleanly and efficiently in a smooth motion, unbelievably sharp, and a texture that Maiaza clearly felt run through her spine. For a split second, the sensation gave her an almost drunken pleasure, completed with the profound anticipation of wielding the dangerous blades.  
  
The silver knotted remains fluttered unceremoniously to the ground, finally getting Kuja a slight hold of himself. He shifted to face her, just as she severed her own set of tangles. They looked at each other, nodded, and non- verbally set off yet again, to a certainly grueling day through the desert, and certain short-term fate.  
  
Something like cutting off your hair, seemed a lot less important when you were stripped down to the bare essentials of survival. Maiaza barely noticed.  
  
She could feel each step through her entire leg, and that was all that mattered then. Pain was not a favorable focus, but at least it was better than nothing.  
  
And as they set off, neither of the wanderers noticed the discarded clump of snowy hair sucked into the ground as if it was water to its thirst, nor the dense multi-color flowers that bloomed immediately after.  
  
Growing in the middle of the nameless desert.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
After finally taking heed of Kuja's dubious glance at the low haze of mist, Maiaza felt entitled to explain.  
  
"It's mist." She offered "Remember the storm this morning? This is just the stuff that's feft over."  
  
"Hn." He replied thoughtfully, but quickening his pace to kick off the delicate tendrils that were sneakily twisting up his leg. The boy understood that it was impossible for it to hurt him, but the simple way it seemed to yearn to hold him back, was enough of a reason for him to be wary of its presence.  
  
The girl on the other hand, was combing her long fingers distractedly through her now-shortened hair. It almost seemed impossible now that she contemplated her previous actions of that day, on a wonder to for how long her hair was long, and that almost impossibly simple action it took to cut it off. The though of it left a vaguely confusing and dizzy feeling through her weary body.  
  
She was also quite aware of how bright it seemed now. The desert was a strange place, not necessarily ~bad~, but just so radically different from her home that it was hard to decode those confusing feelings. But she understood now. This was just the taste of adventure she had yearned for, even if it was a life-threatening, desolate, and rather unremarkable setting such as this, so now she was beginning the fantasized bliss of pure freedom she had only previously heard from storybooks, ignoring even her increasing hunger.  
  
The crunch of clay. The caressing desert wind. The almost purely fresh air, utterly devoid of mechanics.  
  
"Hey, Maiaza," Kuja suddenly stopped, examining the horizon carefully "what's that?"  
  
She sniffed what could have very well been sweat, and squinted to the direction of his pointing finger.  
  
Her heart gave a happy, adrenaline-filled flutter.  
  
"It's a ~person~!" she exclaimed joyfully, already making a pathetic stumble in its direction "Come on!"  
  
They considerably quickened the pace, in a clumsy mock-of-a-run to the hazy sight on the horizon.  
  
Strangely, she became quite aware the smooth, yet hard hilts of her blades knocking into her knee. They seemed to be heavier than ever before, as if to desperately urge her to slow. /Annoying./ she thought dryly, picking them up directly with her palms so they could not interfere with her pace, but she felt herself grinding her teeth as the hilts grinded into her bones.  
  
Kuja was holding increasingly doubting feelings toward his companion's sightings. He stumbled a few steps behind, forcing his feet to drag slightly in exasperation and trying not to open his eyes too widely into the fiery sunlight.  
  
After a close call on an unexpected rock, the odd boy felt himself collide squarely with Maiaza's back, causing them both to end up in an untidy sprawl on the ground. He opened his eyes slowly, dreading the answer to why her body seemed so tense.  
  
"Th-that's not a human." She said in a hashed voice, almond eyes bulging slightly. The two of them looked up at it with identical expressions of terror.  
  
  
  
  
  
((AN - Hmm. Lucky. I ALMOST left it here *devilish grin* but, naw . . . ))  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
It was humanoid somewhat in the fact that it did have noticeable arms, legs, and head in all the right places. But then again, it was not; standing about ten feet tall with grubby green skin, squinty eyes, and a large yellow grin, devoid of any sort of humor, or intelligence.  
  
Maiaza suddenly found that she could not move. In fact, it was now even hard to breathe. And though she knew she wanted nothing more than to take Kuja and herself, as remotely far away as possible from the situation and that . . . that . . . that ~thing~, she knew her wants were nearly hopeless.  
  
It appeared to be examining a rock, its wicked metal club temporarily abandoned, for attention paid to something that could possibly be edible was very important indeed as it bit into it with a crunch.  
  
She winced as she saw the bite break it swiftly in two and the green thing spat out the other half in it's mouth with a wad of gooey saliva ((AN - Kuja: Eeeeeeeeew!)). Then, the two of them continued to stand helplessly as it switched its primitive gaze directly toward them. It's grin grew wider, eyes slitting.  
  
With an audible scrape, it picked up the club again with one vein popping arm, and shook it's dreadlocked-pink-hair with a horribly loud battle cry. The two of them winced. After a moment's pause, it began to charge.  
  
"~Duck~!" Maiaza screamed, dropping to the ground immediately to avoid being hit, but Kuja didn't turn out nearly as lucky. The weighted club caught his narrow ribcage, sending him skidding back into the loose desert dust.  
  
She managed to stumble back, then up, and grip both of her sweaty swords solidly as some sort of twisted comfort, staring at the troll as it snorted in barbaric disappointment. It recovered quickly, and gave another momentum- drug swing down at her.  
  
Instinctively, she gave a clumsy summersault out of the way.  
  
The skull-faced club was swung with such force that it stuck into the ground, precisely where she used to be, only a few feet down. It struggled a bit to free it's (main) weapon, making a strange gurgling noise in the back of it's throat with every tug.  
  
She managed to recover her wits well enough to notice one simple thing: /I can fight back./. Unlike at Lindblum, or sickness, or the fiasco at the massive tree, she was quite capable of also doing damage to the attacker. Whoever had given her the swords had made it clear they weren't just for decoration, and a normally stiffened sense of adrenaline covered the fact that this situation in the silent desert, wasn't nearly as heroic as it should have been.  
  
Stealing a glance at the pale-faced crumble a few feet away, was enough to give her the resisting strength she needed. /I'm on my own now./  
  
So, ~she~ charged.  
  
And with a deadly, beautiful sweep, she managed to catch one of it's exposed arms.  
  
It screamed; like a hundred beings all synchronized in their pain, causing Maiaza to falter a bit in mid-arc at the sheer noise. Still convulsing in painful shudders, it reared back, the blade still deeply buried into muscle.  
  
"Dammit." She muttered, and stood again, regardless. She managed to be foolish enough to already lose one of her greatest allies in a foolish and skill-lacking action. Great.  
  
Maiaza didn't notice Kuja's body starting to stir.  
  
The beast was now trying madly to tear the sword off, but it still clung in a reliable determination that soon left it unsuccessfully wading in it's own pain. It still hung on without regret.  
  
She readied herself for another blow, trying desperately to ignore the thought of the thick, purple-tinged blood that managed to drip it's noxious- smelling self onto her bare arm. It was now steaming back into queer mist.  
  
Suddenly, the troll flying back, only a scorched frontal side to give a clue of the cause.  
  
Maiaza whipped her head around to see her companion, stumbling upright with his body still aglow (or seemed to glow) from power, and his hair fluttering without wind.  
  
Silence.  
  
She caught her breath immediately at his incredible beauty, even with his face contorted in rage, and his eyes shining with a slight madness of fighting. Only he collapsed shortly after, the surreal look vanishing almost entirely.  
  
Abandoning the fight with the mist monster, she knelt down urgently beside him. He looked beyond pathetic.  
  
"Kuja," she whispered, nudging him slightly. He only groaned a bit in pain. Maiaza felt her eyes water up desperately "I don't want to be alone . . . please, ~please~ wake up!"  
  
And by the time she noticed the troll towering over them unmercifully, it was too late.  
  
The tears froze in time, it was hopeless. It was towering, towering over her just like . . .  
  
*The slap connected squarely with her face . . . *  
  
/No . . . ~not again~./  
  
But she could only wait for the blow to come, just like it always had.  
  
But it did not.  
  
A savior came, in the form of a large hunting arrow, and it collided straight into it's shoulder. The troll screamed.  
  
Second arrow.  
  
It hit the other shoulder. Maiaza was still unfit mentally to even move because of the recollecting fear, and as the beast opened it's mouth widely- -  
  
Third arrow: through it's head.  
  
The beast moaned, the beast fell; unmistakably dead.  
  
Maiaza stared at it for a moment, suddenly noticing the blood pumping madly through her stress veins, and the sweat mingled with the cold tears' gliding down her cheek. Kuja stirred slightly and moaned weary nothings under his breath to at least show her he was alright.  
  
It was still deafeningly quiet.  
  
She gazed around the horizon for the source of the arrow. Her still-shocked eyes almost overlooked a rather unremarkable spot, but they didn't, and she knew that ~that~ was quite probable to be their real hero.  
  
All she could make of it in the blistering heat waves, was a dot, only a few shades darker than the sand on which it stood. It was not just rippling in the mirage, but it was honestly hard to say at this distance, and the figure on the horizon disappeared before she had a chance to examine it further. But somehow, even when she was half-mad with heat-stroke and shock, she understood that the two of them had been utterly saved by the mysterious figure. Someone, or perhaps some~thing~, actually cared enough to save them both, a surprising and somewhat suspicious topic in her mind.  
  
Maiaza knelt down next to her friend, cradling his white head in her hands before she looked back to where she supposed their savior was.  
  
"Thank you." She breathed.  
  
A caressing breeze answered, but it was impossible to tell just what it said.  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
I hope you like this so far, because I'm probably going to do something BAD next time. Seriously, I have like 16 pages of verbosity, where NOTHING HAPPENS, and I'm getting tired of it. But just remember, everything was inevitable anyway. ^^ Just ta warn ya!  
  
It's been a while, hasn't it? *sigh* Sorry guys . . . it's the end of the semester.  
  
My other fic: "The Sanctuary" is doing nicely, so if you're anxious, maybe you should check it out, even if you've never watched YGO. Heck, check out an episode guide! (google.com is your friend . . . )  
  
Hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day! *mutters to herself* Single people really need a day of recognition . . .  
  
Toodles.  
  
giggle  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
(HAHAHA! Thought you could get away? No way! Please review, reviews are some of the best things in the world!) 


End file.
